Login User, Book 1
by Alpha Starwell
Summary: What happens when a genius inventor makes it possible for Users to enter the Net? And what will happen when his unwitting niece is the first to play with this new technology? What adventures and dangers await her? Formerly Deviantart-exclusive, this story is now available here. Co-written as always with VirTaAshi.
1. Chapter 1

Frank Forbes hurried down the stairs with his briefcase, glancing quickly at his watch as he went. He was late and if he didn't hurry he would receive another lecture from his boss. There was a meeting at the office that he couldn't afford to miss.

It was a particularly important meeting, having to do with a prototype invention. Since his boss had several benefactors funding the project it was vital to keep those Very Important People up-to-date about what was going on. That way, they could all rest assured that their money was not being wasted.

In his rush, Frank stumbled over the last step of the staircase and nearly fell. He caught himself by clutching the railing, but his briefcase tumbled before him and burst open. It's contents spilled all over the floor as if it had puked explosively.

Frank cursed under his breath. "I don't have time for this," he muttered as he stooped down and began to snatch up the papers. This little accident frustrated him especially because he'd gone through great pains to organize everything for the meeting. Now he simply thrust the papers into the briefcase haphazardly; he did not have time to sort them out at present.

Within a minute or two he had the briefcase shut and latched. He then made a dash toward the door only to catch his foot on the carpet. This resulted in him falling flat on his face. This time the briefcase didn't fly open, but it somehow ended up flying through the air and landing in the middle of his back, nearly knocking the breath out of him.

He grunted and pushed himself up, smoothing the freshly formed creases out of his business suit. He could tell that this was simply not his day.

Then he found out that it could only get worse….

"FRANK!"

He grimaced at the all-too-familiar bellow. That screechy voice set his teeth on edge the same way a Banshee from a horror movie would. "Yes, Dear?" he called back as he picked himself up off the floor.

She walked into the room, hands on hips. Her hair was in curlers and she was clad in a simple bathrobe. Obviously she had just come out of the shower, judging from the dampness of her hair and the absence of makeup.

Frank grimaced. Without makeup she had no face whatsoever, as if she were a corpse risen from the local graveyard. Her naturally pale skin made her look even more death-like. The bathrobe was short enough to reveal her freshly shaved legs, though Frank wasn't sure if they looked better with or without the ape-like hair. Either way, she was bull-legged and not much could disguise it.

"What is it, Marge?" he snapped as he yanked his briefcase off the floor. "I'm late for work!" He tucked the case under his arm.

Marge twirled her toothbrush in hand. Toothpaste oozed from the corners of her lips as she spoke, making it obvious she hadn't rinsed her mouth properly. "We need groceries for the kids tonight, so don't forget to stop by the store on the way home."

Frank rolled his eyes. "Like I would forget to do that when we're just about out of everything!" He thrust the door open. "Now if you don't mind, I'm late for work!" He stepped out and slammed the door shut behind him.

Marge placed a fist on her hip and stuck her toothbrush back in her mouth. She glanced skyward and stroked her gums with its gentle bristles as she mentally counted to five.

Just as she reached Five, the door opened again and Frank came back inside, glaring at her. "Wait just a minute," he said. "What guests? If you're having another one of your high-society gatherings in the house tonight-"

Marge yanked the toothbrush out of her mouth with an almost audible pop. She swallowed the excess toothpaste. "No," she interjected in that you are stupid kind of tone she had. "I always tell you in advance when I'm having one of my parties."

"Yeah, because you never want me around when you're snobby rich friends are here."

"Even if you were invited, you would never remember to show up anyway," Marge retorted. "You basically live at the company office, and even when you're home you keep yourself locked up in your private home office."

"That's where I work, Marge. You know, it brings in the money, so that we can afford this fancy house and all of your expensive furs and jewelry."

"That is the only thing your damn computer is good for. Otherwise…"

"You wouldn't have married me, and your classy friends wouldn't even be your friends." Frank rolled his eyes. "I get it."

"That's a smart boy." Marge patted him on the shoulder. "At least you've got some sense in how society works."

"Only problem is that I married a fat cow," Frank stated, folding his arms. It was still a mystery to him what happened to her. During their high school years she had been one of the most gorgeous girls in school; not particularly athletic, nor was she good at anything special, but she could turn the head of any boy who'd gone through puberty. Frank, who had been the scrawny computer geek at the time, had considered himself extremely lucky to end up with her on his arm at the prom.

They both married soon after they turned eighteen, and that was when everything began to go downhill. The gorgeous hot chick somehow morphed into an ugly hag as Frank himself filled out and became more muscular. He became the handsome young man whom the ladies drooled over while Marge became more and more hideous.

Now, after almost twenty-two years of marriage, he couldn't help but wonder what he had ever seen in her. Had he been that blind and stupid back when he was a teenager? Perhaps so, but at least he had his work which gave him fulfillment and satisfaction.

Marge enjoyed spending a hefty portion of his hard-earned money, but Frank never wanted much because he had most of what he needed. He could do what he loved and what he was best at, plus his job and technical/programming skills permitted him access to the latest and greatest computer hardware and equipment.

At times… she could even be nice to him. Especially since she knew he was her source of unlimited cash for her shopping sprees, and sometimes she would do special favors for him when he showered her with expensive perfumes, luxurious fur coats and sparkling jewelry.

He simply had to put up with the nagging attitude, and the dog-faced features…

"I'm probably the only woman on God's green Earth who could put up with you," Marge retorted with a cool smirk. "You were married to your computer long before you ever laid eyes on me. You simply wanted a pretty face to spice up your home and make you feel like you were something."

The cruel smile on her face faded, quickly replaced by the look that always made Frank shudder inwardly. Her icy eyes became unveiled as they bored into his, revealing her true feelings. "My dear Frank," she hissed, "you are lucky to have me and you don't even realize it."

"Yeah, I'm lucky," Frank said. "I'm lucky because, otherwise, I wouldn't know what else to do with all the money I'm making. And we desperately need professional spenders to help boost the American economy." He smirked in his sarcasm.

Marge opened her mouth and quickly closed it. She scowled and stuck out her lower lip like a five-year-old. "Don't be late at the office," she repeated. She turned to leave, her fat body moving like a lumbering ox. "We have guests coming tonight."

That was when Frank remembered what they'd been talking about. He frowned. "What guests?" he asked, and frantically glanced at his watch again. He clenched his teeth in frustration. This was why he hated this woman so much, as much as he loved her (or was used to her, at least). She often made him late for work and she would also say things that made him angry, then she would distract him from the subject at hand until they finally got back to it.

"Don't you remember? Your brother's kids are coming here tonight," Marge answered with a shrug. She turned back to face him and narrowed her eyes. "You really forgot, didn't you?" She sucked in a deep breath and let it out as a huff. "It's a good thing we never had children of our own, Frank. Considering how absent-minded you get, you probably would have lost them at the grocery store."

"I've been busy with a lot of work lately, in case you haven't noticed," Frank stated defensively. "It's a very important project, for which they are paying me very well." He sighed. "I vaguely recall something about this… Dan and his wife are going on another of their business trips, right?"

"Glad to see you remember that, at least." Most of the excess toothpaste that Marge hadn't swallowed had oozed onto her face; she looked like a rabid she-dog now more than ever. "I'll have the cleaning lady straighten up the guest rooms when she arrives. She'll do almost anything for me, especially when I tip her well."

"Yeah. Well, I need to go to work. Have fun flinging my money around like horse manure." Frank stepped to the door and grabbed the handle firmly. "That's all you and your high-society ladies do, anyway. And you do it very well because you're all so full of crap!" On that last note, Frank hastily went out and slammed the door shut behind him.

He inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, repeating this breathing exercise as he walked briskly toward his car. By the time he plunked himself into the driver's seat and deposited the briefcase into the passenger seat beside him, he felt much calmer. He was used to these arguments with his wife at this point and it was easy enough for him to push all thoughts of her out of his mind.

He needed to stay focused, after all. He could compartmentalize and concentrate fully on one thing; computers and programming. His ability to clear his mind and focus entirely on that (not to mention his genius and talent in those areas) were what made the big bucks in his household.

Hopefully, after the following meeting (which he was already twenty minutes late for) he would have the final approval, and the final pieces of tech and equipment, to begin the final phase of the experiment.

Ten minutes later he arrived at the large company building, pulling the car into one of the marked VIP parking spaces reserved for someone of his status and technical skill. At times, if he stopped to think about it, such a privilege might go to his head. For the most part though, one parking spot was just the same as any other and he didn't have time to dwell upon such things. He had work to do and he was already late.

He nearly forgot his briefcase as he shut off the engine and leaped out of the car. He remembered it at the last moment and hastily tucked it under his arm. As he hurried toward the front door he made a mental note to stop at the grocery store once this was over, hoping he wouldn't forget.

If he did forget, Marge would be sure he never heard the end of it.

Once he passed through the company building's pristine double glass doors, he gave a curt nod toward the receptionist as he passed her. The pretty blond woman often doubled as a security for the company head, though at the moment she hardly seemed busy. That human-sized Barbie-doll was currently filling her time with gum-chewing and nail-filing, though she did spare a glance to nod at him as he passed.

Yeah, the woman really knows how to multitask, Frank thought with a roll of his eyes as he headed down the hall. Right. The woman only works here because she's a babe. That and she sleeps with the head boss. Then again, what did he care? Everybody had to make their dough somehow. Perhaps it was a simple matter of using what you had. Frank had his brains and his skills. Maybe some poor souls only had their good looks and sexy body to get by in life.

Too bad Marge couldn't trade her fat old caboose for a new one… Ah, if only women could be more like cars. That would make the world a lot more fun. Then again, if a vehicle truly went bad there wasn't much you could do to make it look better. Not unless you were prepared to spend a fortune. Sometimes all you could do was put up with a fresh new paint job and try to ignore the dents and cracks…

Frank turned his full attention to his work as he hurried into the office where the meeting was taking place. Thankfully, he was spared the Evil Eye for being late because one of the important peeps required at the meeting was late as well. Apparently Ms. Trudge had barely arrived mere seconds before Frank himself stumbled through the door. She dismissed her tardiness, commenting on a malfunctioning traffic light and a flat tire, and took her seat.

The meeting lasted roughly an hour and a half. Everyone went over standard work procedures and reassured their financial benefactors that the company wasn't simply flushing their funding down the toilet.

Once everybody was satisfied that the money was being used the way it was supposed to be, and that everybody was doing their jobs by crossing every T and dotting almost every I, the meeting was dismissed.

Frank packed his stack of papers neatly in his briefcase again, tucking a few new documents he would need to pour over later underneath a stack of paperwork he would have to fill out or sign. If nothing else, he was contented by the fact that he could return his thought processes to the work he really preferred now; computers, programming, and tech.

Best of all, he had been informed that he might be able to take the company's experiment, their latest pride and joy, home with him tonight to work on. He smiled at the thought, pleased that he'd be able to continue his work in the comfort of his own office.

Every man had his sanctuary, after all. And when a man was married to a shrill, dog-faced woman like Marge, it was even better when that private place had locks.

He moseyed into one of the larger rooms within the complex, a room that had the company's mainframe. Only those with Level Six clearance or higher were permitted anywhere near the mainframe, since it was used strictly for business purposes and, sometimes, a few minor simulations or experiments.

Most of the high-level programming, simulations or experimental trials were performed on other, smaller, more powerful machines within the company. Nevertheless, the mainframe certainly had its uses… which apparently included game-playing.

The mainframe didn't have just one user, but several. It depended upon who was operating it that day or, in some cases, who had a little free time and wanted to goof around. Many games had been downloaded and played on that machine, even if technically they weren't supposed to use it for that purpose. But as long as the important work got done and people met their work quotas, the company heads seemed to turn a blind eye to it.

"Oh, hi there, Frank," Tanya Jarvis greeted him as he entered the room. She barely glanced up from whatever she was doing.

"Hello." Frank readjusted his briefcase under his arm, and peered at the screen. "Hard a work, or playing games?" He flashed a brief grin.

The corner of Tanya's mouth quirked. "No games today," she said. "I think Josh played a couple earlier, but I've got honest work to do."

"Meaning you'll play one later."

"Maybe."

Frank shook his head slightly. "So tell me something," he said conversationally, "is it true, what they say about this beast?" He patted the casing of the Mainframe.

"I don't know… what have they said?" Tanya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, just that its got a mind of its own," Frank shrugged. "That sometimes when games are played…" He glanced back and forth briefly for dramatic pause. "Crazy things happen."

"Ah, the game glitches." Tanya shook her head and leaned back a bit in her seat. "Nobody really knows why that happens. Just that it's hard to win games on this system for some reason."

"I've heard that sometimes the game opponents will step outside their programming parameters," Frank pressed curiously. He wasn't sure why he was pressing the issue; perhaps he just wanted to know. Or he was trying to delay the inevitable doom of going home to Marge… and his brother's kids. Not that he had a problem with the kids really, but teenagers would be teenagers.

Tanya's shoulders rose and fell. "This system has always been a little funny at times. Some say it's haunted, others say the games have a mind of their own. All I know is that games aren't won very often."

"Maybe I'll try one sometime," Frank mused thoughtfully. "Well, I'll let you get back to work."

"Okie-dokie. Got any big plans tonight?" Tanya's hands began to clack against the keyboard again.

Frank grunted. "Yeah, work. And my niece and nephew are coming over."

"Hmm. You don't sound very enthusiastic," Tanya observed without looking up.

"I'm always up for working on a new prototype or experimental program-in this case, it's both," Frank told her. "It's the family stuff I'm not looking forward to."

"I already know all about how you feel about your wife," Tanya said with a roll of her eyes. "What's wrong with the kids?"

"Nothing."

"Then why do you sound so grumpy?"

"Because kids need a lot of attention. Or you need to keep a close eye on them to keep 'em out of trouble."

"I don't know, some kids are good at keeping themselves amused."

Frank sighed and shook his head. He muttered under his breath as he left the room, "Yeah, kids keeping to themselves… that's another problem with today's society. They practically have to raise themselves, and they turn to bad influences. Not that I have the time or the desire to baby-sit them, either…" The door closed, cutting off his mumblings.


	2. Chapter 2

Hannah Forbes slouched in the back of the family car, staring at her cell phone as she tried to ignore everyone around her. She had texted all of her friends and even a few of her cousins, yet none of them were replying.

She sighed heavily and looked out the window. On a good day at least a few of her contacts would text her back every twenty or thirty seconds, perhaps two minutes at most. It seemed typical that on the one day she had to suffer through a boring, five-hour car ride, nobody was available to text with.

"Dad, how much longer until we get there?" her fourteen-year-old brother, Greg, demanded from the seat beside her in that somewhat whiny tone of his.

Hannah rolled her eyes in annoyance, but then realized she was grateful for the question. She wanted to know as well, and it saved her the risk of annoying Mom and Dad.

"Not much longer," Dad replied from the driver's seat. Mom rode shotgun beside him in silence; she had been looking through important documents during the entire trip, studying them closely.

"That's what you said half an hour ago!" Greg complained.

"We should be there in about five or ten minutes, Greg. Don't worry."

"Dad, I've been going crazy back here for hours! There's nothing to do, and I have to go to the bathroom!"

"Oh stop whining," Hannah griped, finally losing patience. "We'll get there when we get there."

"You sound like Mom!" Greg folded his arms.

"How would you know?" Hannah retorted. "She hasn't said anything since we left the house."

"Your mother is doing her homework for her job," Dad said. "As you know, we're going to be heading to Washington soon after we drop you kids off at my brother's house."

"I still don't see why you couldn't have left us home," Hannah said. "I'm old enough to look after myself. I am sixteen."

"It's your brother we're worried about."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Greg complained. "I'm old enough to look after myself, too!"

"Greg," Dad said, casting a quick glance at the rear-view mirror to glare at Greg's reflection, "every single time we leave you home alone, something happens."

"Yeah, last time it involved the police and the fire department coming over," Hannah remarked.

"Hannah, you aren't exempt either. It was your responsibility to keep an eye on your brother, especially considering his… past antics."

"Hey, I'm right here, you know," Greg griped, disliking being spoken of as if he wasn't present. "You make it sound like I'm a dog that needs a babysitter or something."

"Maybe it's because you smell like one," Hannah sneered.

"That is enough, both of you. Act your age!" Dad said firmly, and sighed. "Look, I don't like leaving you kids with your Uncle Frank and Aunt Marge any more than you do. But they're the only ones who would take you in, and I expect both of you to be on your best behavior."

"If it's anything like the way it was last time, they won't even know we're in the house," Hannah muttered. Aunt Marge loved to dress up in her elaborate furs and adorn her neck, ears and fingers with her expensive jewelry and go out with her rich friends. They all had the exact same personality and attitude, so it seemed; they flocked together like geese because they all had a lot of money to spend and they loved to show off that fact.

Uncle Frank, on the other hand, spent a lot of time at work or locked up in his home office.

Either way, Hannah had already prepared herself for the fact that she would be alone for the next week or so, and probably very bored.

"Marge and her friends," Mom said from the front seat, speaking for the first time. She sighed softly and straightened out her papers, folding them neatly and placing them in her purse. "The pedigree poodles."

Hannah snickered. At least she and her mother agreed on some things.

"Now, Cassie…" Dad warned.

"Well, it's true, Dan," Mom shrugged as she pawed through her purse. She took out a lipstick and leaned toward the rearview mirror to touch up her lips. "They all look the same, they all act the same. Slap a golden collar around each of their necks and they'll look the part."

"Then you could call the pound to come take them away," Hannah giggled.

"Hannah," Mom and Dad scolded in unison.

Hannah rolled her eyes and slouched down in her seat again. Yeah, sure. Mom could get away with saying things like that, apparently. But she never could.

"Are we there yet?" Greg demanded yet again.

"No," Mom and Dad again spoke in unison.

As Greg continued to complain and their parents continued to bicker softly about Marge and her friends, Hannah picked up her cell phone and began to fiddle with it. Even in the height of boredom she found that the accessory made her happy. It felt good simply to touch the screen and explore the different features while she waited for texts or emails.

The phone was something she'd gotten for her birthday, exactly three weeks ago. It contained the ability to take pictures, access the internet, even play videos. To some extent, it could even talk. She loved her phone very much, especially since it was her favorite color: red. The case was kind of a dark, dried-blood kind of red, but still red nonetheless.

Her stomach growled. "I'm so hungry," she muttered aloud. She didn't mean for it to sound as whiny as it did; she simply realized it for herself.

"Me too!" Greg complained. "Can we stop at McDonalds or something?"

"No," Dad said.

"Why not?"

"Because we're almost at your Uncle's house; you can get something to eat there."

Greg folded his arms and slumped down in his seat like a pouting six-year-old. "That's what you keep saying, and we still aren't there!"

"Oh yes we are."

That was when the car turned and they pulled up into the driveway of Uncle Frank and Aunt Marge's large, expensive house. It's ivory paint shone like soft, off-white snow under the bright sun.

Hannah slipped her phone into her purse and flung the side passenger door open at the same instant Greg opened his.

"I'll beat you to the front door!" Greg yelled, already running.

"Oh no you don't!" Hannah yelled, already racing after him.

Dad got out of the car next, shaking his head. "You coming, Cassie?" he asked.

His wife didn't even glance up. She shook her head. "I'll stay here. They're your relatives, anyway."

"The least you could do is say hi."

"They don't want to see me."

"You mean you don't want to see them."

"That too."

"Fine." Dad shut the car door and peered through the half-open window. "I'll be back in a few minutes, once I'm sure the kids are situated."

"Okie-dokie."

Dad popped open the trunk and grabbed two suitcases containing the teenagers' luggage and approached the porch a couple minutes after the teenagers were already there.

"You cheated!" Greg was saying.

"I did not cheat, I beat you fair and square!" Hannah retorted, lifting her chin the air.

"You're a girl. The only way a girl can win is to cheat!"

"I didn't even trip you or anything this time, you tripped over your own stupid shoelace."

"It's still not fair!"

"Then tie your shoes next time, runt!"

"That's enough, both of you," their father said as he hopped up the porch steps. He didn't bother to point out that either one of them could have knocked or rang the doorbell instead of arguing. He rapped his knuckles against the elegantly designed door three times.

A couple of minutes passed. Dad was just about to try the doorbell when the door finally opened.

"Oh, hello there." Marge swung the door open all the way, gesturing them to come in. "You're late, you know. I was expecting you all here an hour ago."

"We had a flat tire," Dad replied.

"We also hit a deer," Greg said with a grin. "It ran right in front of us and you could see the blood and the guts all over the road-"

"She gets the idea, son."

Marge made a face. "Indeed I do." She made an impatient gesture. "Well, come in! I haven't got all day, I was just starting to put my face on."

"Hope it looks better than what you have now," Dad muttered under his breath.

"You and Frank should have been twins," Marge commented dryly. "So, you coming in too, or what?"

"I'm afraid not. Cassie's waiting for me in the car, and we have a long trip ahead of us."

"In other words she's too good to say hi to me." Marge rolled her eyes, then shrugged. "No matter, I get enough lip from you and Frank anyway. Be on your way and enjoy yourself in Washington while I watch your Rugrats for you."

"Thank you, we shall," Dad said in an equally dry tone as he plunked the suitcases down on the floor just inside the doorway. He then turned to leave. "So long, kids," he said to Hannah and Greg, giving them a slight wave. "Be good." With that he headed out, closing the door behind him.

"Well don't just stand there," Marge barked in a tone that made the teenagers flinch. "Pick up your luggage and get upstairs. You have the exact same rooms as before, assuming you remember where they are."

"I remember," Hannah grumbled as she snatched up her suitcase. "Up the stairs, first room on the left."

Greg picked up his own suitcase with both hands. "I'm in the second room on the right, right?"

"Very good, little Einsteins. Now go on up to your rooms and unpack or whatever, I have some things I need to finish doing." With that, Marge turned and walked away, leaving the kids to fend for themselves.

The brother and sister exchanged glances, knowing that this might even be the last time they saw Aunt Marge for the rest of their stay, apart for infrequent encounters.

"Race you up the stairs!" Greg shouted, already starting to run.

"Greg!" Hannah snapped, "Don't run up the stairs with your shoe untied!"

She didn't bother to run after him. She simply waited until she heard the inevitable tumble of Greg falling and his suitcase banging down the stairs, followed by a series of curses. Hannah shook her head knowingly, and walked into the next room to find Greg standing over his suitcase which had burst open and spilled its kids.

"Hey, you kids be quiet out there!" Marge yelled from whatever room she was in.

Hannah sighed. "Here, I'll help you pick them up," she said as she squatted down to help him put his clothes and other belongings back into the case.

Greg didn't thank her; he'd never bring himself to express his gratitude, but he did look appreciative. Once they had everything put back into the suitcase, he snatched it up and began to march up the stairs.

"Greg," Hannah warned firmly.

"What?" He glared down at her.

She pointed at his foot. "Tie your shoe. Seriously, you're going to kill yourself if you don't."

Greg huffed and plunked his suitcase down one of the higher steps, then sat down on a different step and hurriedly tied his shoe.

"Hey that's not a very good bow-tie knot," Hannah nitpicked. "You really need to learn how to tie your shoes better, or-"

"Oh just shut up," Greg griped as he stood and grabbed his suitcase. "Just because you're good at everything doesn't mean you can tell me what to do."

"I'm not good at everything," Hannah replied, furrowing her brow in puzzlement. Where did he get the idea that she was? "I'm just saying that if you tied your shoes better, they won't become untied so easily."

"Look, you're not Mom. So don't pretend to be." With that, Greg proceeded to stomp up the stairs.

"Well, at least try double-tying them!" Hannah called after him. She received only a grumble in reply. Shrugging, she picked up her own suitcase and marched up the stairs at a slower pace, making a beeline for her own bedroom.

That particular guestroom hadn't changed at all since the last time she'd stayed at this house. It was mostly empty except for the freshly made bed, a single table, and a nightstand containing a lamp. She plunked her briefcase in the closet; she didn't feel like unpacking her clothes quite yet.

She then hopped onto her bed atop the covers and slid her purse strap off of her shoulder. "Let's see if anybody's texted me yet," she murmured as she reached within and grabbed her cell phone. She checked it with one hand as she tossed her purse onto the nightstand with the other.

Hannah beamed in delight when she realized she'd gotten a text, but her happiness quickly changed to disappointment and annoyance. It was just a text from Donna again.

Apparently Donna had broken up with her boyfriend this week, again, and she was telling all of her female friends that her life was over and her heart was totally broken and she would never date again, blah, blah, blah…

Hannah rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to text-reply the words Get a freakin' life already. However, if she did that, then everyone all over school would hear about how 'cruel and thoughtless' Hannah was, once Spring Break was over. It would then get the cliquish crowd including the popular, pretty girls and the cheerleaders pointing fingers at her and whispering behind her back.

Donna was just one of those girls who sought attention by acting like a drama queen and, whenever she had even the tiniest argument with her boyfriend-the handsome captain of the soccer team-she would tell the world that she'd "broken up" with him and go on about how emotionally scarred she was.

In the end, Hannah usually slapped together a text-reply to offer what sounded like sympathy and support, because keeping Donna happy if you stayed on her good side had one key advantage; Donna was good to have around if you needed a favor of any kind from any of the cool, popular kids who were too good to talk to anyone else. Plus she had access to many different things, including other people's locker combinations. If you ever wanted to try and get a date with one of the cute guys, place an anonymous note in someone's locker, or perhaps do something more nefarious without anyone knowing… she was the one to talk to.

Donna simply had an odd way of being cool and uncool. She was drop-dead gorgeous and fairly athletic, which meant that everybody wanted her on their team in Soccer or Basketball, and every boy wanted to ask her out at least once. But she still associated with the dorks, losers and the merely average kids, simply because she liked the attention… and because she could get away with it and still be seen as "cool".

Hannah finished cobbling together a sympathy text and sent it, rolling her eyes when she remembered that Greg had a crush on that girl. It was just a few seconds later when Donna replied, but Hannah shut her phone off and set it on the mattress. She already knew what it was going to say anyway, probably something along the lines of, "Oh you are such a good friend!1 If you ever need to bend my ear I'll totally listen to you because we are the bestest friends evar!1"

This would, of course, ignore the fact that Donna never liked to listen to anyone else at all. You would be lucky if you got two full sentences in before she'd begin whining about her bad hair day or how she got gum on the bottom of her shoe. The worst rant she'd ever made was how "annoying" it was that she could turn the head of every boy in the school, which was one of her more infamous complain-brags.

Hannah's thoughts were interrupted when she heard shouting somewhere downstairs. She figured she might as well investigate, especially since she had nothing else better to do at present. With a sigh, Hannah put her phone into her pocket and pushed herself off the bed and then headed downstairs.

"But Aunt Marge, I'm hungry!" she could hear Greg complaining as she walked into the living room.

Hannah raised her eyebrows in surprise. Maybe Aunt Marge isn't gonna be as much of a ghost this time, she thought. Then again, Greg had grown more insistent and annoying over the past several years; he was virtually impossible to ignore.

"You just have to wait until Frank gets back," Marge stated, for what appeared to be at least the fifth time. "He went to work and he promised to go grocery shopping on the way back."

"But I'm hungry now!" Greg exclaimed, clutching at his stomach as if it hurt. "I'm a growing man, you know," he added with his most pitiful puppy-dog expression.

Hannah rolled her eyes. Oh brother.

"Fine, if it will stop your whining…" Marge stormed into the kitchen and grabbed some lemon-flavored yogurt off of the bottom shelf. "Eat up," she said as she tossed it to Greg.

"This looks disgusting!" Greg complained. He ripped the tin foil off of the container and sniffed. "Ew, yuck!" He made a face.

"Don't blame me, blame your Uncle for being late," Marge replied with a dismissive shrug. "It's either that sugar-free goop or the mystery container in the back of the fridge."

"What's that?" Greg asked, looking desperate and more than a little curious.

"I have no idea," Marge shrugged. "But I wouldn't recommend you try it. It's been in there so long it's probably come back to life." Without another word, she left the room.

Greg opened the fridge door and peered inside.

Hannah stepped forward, placing her hands on her lips. "Seriously, you're not going to try it, are you?" she deadpanned.

Greg glared at her. "I thought I told you that you're not Mom! Get off my case." He reached into the fridge and pulled out something that was securely wrapped in plastic. It appeared to be something in a bowl.

"I'm not going to let you get food poisoning," Hannah said firmly. "Now give that here." She reached for it, but Greg dodged her hand and stepped out of reach.

"No way!" Greg said. "Look, I'm not going to eat it. I'm not stupid. I just want to take a look at it!"

"Fine, but throw it away afterwards." Hannah folded her arms.

"You're such a nag, just like Mom." Greg turned his back on her and began to peel away the layers of plastic.

The stench of it nearly made him drop it; he held it as far away from his face as he could, turning his nose in the other direction. "Oh man alive," he gasped. "It's worse than rotten eggs!"

Hannah stepped up beside him and blinked at what she saw. "Greg, I think it's moving," she said, almost fearfully.

"Whoa," Greg exclaimed, staring at the dish as though transfixed by it. He looked as if he wasn't sure whether to be fascinated or horrified. "Dude," he finally remarked, "I think we should put this in the garbage."

"Couldn't agree more," Hannah said.


	3. Chapter 3

Once the mystery food was disposed of, Greg and Hannah looked at each other. "I'm still hungry," Greg complained.

Hannah sighed. "I have a little money," she said. "But I don't know where any grocery stores are, and I only have my learner's permit."

"Yeah I know," Greg grumped. That meant they wouldn't be able to go anywhere without a fully licensed driver even if they had access to a car.

"I'll see if there's anything in the cupboards," Hannah said as the idea occurred to her. She stood on the tips of her toes as she stretched her fingers to open the cupboard doors. There were a lot of spices stored up there, along with some odds and ends like sugar, salt, and various condiments.

"Gross," was all Greg said as he made a face.

Hannah gave him a look. "Oh, and like that mystery food from the back of the fridge wasn't gross?"

"Hey that was kind of cool," Greg shrugged. "I never saw anything like it before. But that stuff, it's not even food."

Hannah once again stood on tippy-toes to reach toward the cupboards. She began to shove bottles and containers aside, attempting to see if anything could be found behind them. "What's this?" Her fingertips brushed against something solid and metallic.

"Did you find something?" Greg asked hopefully.

His sister pulled a large can from the shelf and examined it, turning it over in her hands. "Looks like a can of ravioli. If I can find a can opener, I'll heat it up in the microwave." She cast him a sideways glance. "If that sounds acceptable to Your Royal Highness, that is," she added sarcastically.

Greg rolled his eyes. "Hey, I'm not that picky. Heat it up."

Hannah began looking through a few drawers until she found the can-opener, then she used it to remove the cover. "If you'd learn how to cook, you could do this yourself."

"But you're so good at it! Just like Mom."

"You always complain I act too much like Mom, unless I'm feeding you." Hannah carefully poured the contents of the can into a microwave-able bowl. "Actually, I'm not your substitute Mom… I'm your keeper. I feel like I'm fixing food for a dog."

"If there's an animal in our family it's you. I've seen the way you and your friends eat whenever you have them over at our house."

"At least we clean up after ourselves!" Hannah retorted as she shoved the bowl into the microwave and started it up. "Your bedroom is a mess at home. You might as well live in a barnyard stable; at least then you could excuse the smell."

"My room doesn't smell!"

"Greg, Mom made me help you clean out your room last month because you wouldn't do it on your own. Don't you remember what I found under your bed?"

"I know, I know," Greg rolled his eyes, "a lot of dirty socks and a lot of my shirts and pants."

"Which should have been put in the laundry immediately after you changed out of them, not shoved under your bed," Hannah scolded.

"You told me this before. You're not our Mom!"

"No, I'm not, but that's the not point and neither is your dirty laundry!" Hannah sighed. "Greg, I found food under your bed leftover from that night when Keith slept over."

"Keith's my best friend! He does what I do."

"What do you do? Just shove everything dirty or disposable under your bed? Greg, this is stuff that a first-grader would know. Dirty clothes go in the laundry. Dirty dishes go in the sink or, better yet, the dishwasher. Garbage-that includes leftover food-goes in the trash!"

"Nag, nag, nag," Greg retorted in his most annoying, sing-song voice.

"I wouldn't 'nag' if you'd just be more responsible. You wanna know why I act like Mom so much? It's because at least one of us needs to act responsible."

The microwave chimed and the glow within went dark. Hannah matter-of-factly opened the microwave door and grabbed the bowl, hissing as it burned her fingers. Once again, she'd forgotten to put a mitt on or grab a hot pad.

She hastily set it down on the counter near the microwave. Then she opened the silverware drawer and took out a fork, stabbing the utensil into the middle of the dish. "There," she said. "Bon Appetite, Rover. Don't burn your tongue." With that, she turned and headed toward the stairs.

"And where are you going?" Greg called after her.

Hannah didn't even look back. "To my room."

A minute and a half later, she was once again resting atop her bed. This time she lay flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Thirty seconds passed, and then she took her cell phone from her pocket and turned it on.

She had three text messages from Donna. She rolled her eyes. Apparently this was going to be one of those days.

0o0o0o0o0

Frank Forbes stifled a yawn as he plunked several bags of groceries into the trunk of his car. It had been a while since he and Marge had stocked up on even the basic necessities, partly due to his busy work schedule and Marge's frequent high society get-togethers and shopping sprees with her friends.

In the end, it didn't matter much most of the time because each of them ate out a lot anyway, or grabbed some food on the fly. However, both of them knew they couldn't do that with two teenagers staying at the house; they needed to have some kind of food around. Normally, the only thing Marge and Frank made sure they kept stocked were things like toothpaste, soap, shampoo and, of course, toilet paper and paper towel. Those were things you couldn't exactly do without, even if you were constantly on the fly or absent-minded.

Frank finally slammed the trunk hood shut and looked over the receipt, making sure he'd gotten everything. Cereal, eggs, bread, margarine, various canned vegetables, some fruit, and a few other things. Yeah, it would do. He shrugged and folded the receipt, shoving it into his pants pocket.

As he drove home he mulled over what was discussed at the meeting. For the most part it was the same old things involving funding and share holds as well as who was providing what. In the end, the only thing that Frank cared was that he'd finally gotten the final components, tech and equipment he needed to complete the company project. Best of all, he'd gotten special permission to complete it at home, in his office, so long as he didn't let anyone else see it.

Teenagers could prove distracting, or at least nosey and curious, after all. That was the reason why Frank disapproved of the idea of Hannah and Greg staying at his place. They might get in the way or they might need attention or something else when he was in the middle of working. Yet Marge had agreed to let them stay, without discussing it with him.

Frank shook off these thoughts as he pulled the car into the driveway. In truth, he hated dealing with people, even his own family. Too much friction involved, which lead to complications and conflict. He preferred his world of computer hardware and software programming; that was the sort of thing he could handle. If he could sit at a computer all day long he would; he often ate his meals in front of the computer.

He popped open the trunk and grabbed several handfuls of groceries. A heavy cardboard box containing the items he needed to complete the prototype were in the back seat, but he would come back for that. First he would bring in the groceries.

Just as he brought the first load of bags inside, he was just about ambushed by Marge and then the teenagers. Marge demanded to know why he was late-it was already getting dark outside, after all-and Greg wanted to know what he bought, and Hannah started complaining about boredom among other things.

It sounded like a dysfunctional chorus of shouts within seconds.

"Hey!" Frank yelled as he headed into the kitchen, plunking the groceries down on the floor. "I just got home from the office and I've had a long day. If any of you want to be helpful, you can bring some of the groceries inside."

Greg mumbled something under his breath.

"Um, I'll help," Hannah offered meekly.

"Thanks," was all Frank said as the two of them headed out toward the car.

While Hannah took as many bags of groceries as she could handle from the trunk, Frank unlocked the car and carefully grabbed the box from the back seat, handling it gently. He then took a moment to get a good look at Hannah for the first time, finding himself a little startled. She had grown so much since the last time he'd seen her. She looked almost like a woman now with short brown hair styled around her angelic features.

Won't be long before the boys are asking her for her cell phone number, he mused as he shut the car door. Who am I kidding? They probably already are. This made him all the more grateful he didn't have any kids, especially daughters. He would have been clueless how to handle a female teenager, especially when it came to discussions about the facts of life.

He grabbed the remainder of the grocery bags with his free hand and used his elbow to shut the trunk. "You're looking good, kid," he told her as they began to walk back toward the house.

"Uh, thanks," Hannah said distantly.

Frank paused. "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah… why?" The girl's reply was grumpy, like she just wanted to be left alone.

Nevertheless, Frank gently pursued it. "I don't know. You just look a little down or something."

Hannah frowned. "It's nothing."

Frank shrugged and pressed on toward the house. Something seemed to be eating at the girl, but he didn't know her well enough to guess. Not to mention he had work to do in his office once the groceries were put away.

Kids need to learn how to handle their own crap anyway, he thought as he set his handful of groceries on the floor and walked up the stairs. He could hear voices coming from the kitchen as Marge put away their portion of the groceries and Greg complained about being made to help. Hannah cast a glance in Frank's direction, then hauled her own bags into the kitchen.

I had to learn to deal with stuff at an early age, Frank mused as he paused at his office door. He fished into his pocket and pulled out his key. Even when you get married you still have to deal with things on your own.

Frank shoved those thoughts aside as he entered his sanctuary-his office-with the box in hand. He gently set it on the floor and then turned to lock up the door behind him. The bolt snapped into place, the chain was hooked, and the third locking mechanism on the doorknob was turned.

Only then did Frank proceed to open the box. He felt himself slip into that quiet, peaceful place in his mind as he began to work. This was where he was truly content, doing what he loved best. It was a place where he could feel in control, where any problem or complexity could be fixed with time and effort.

The hours passed rapidly into the night and then into the wee hours of the morning. The crack of dawn began to appear on the horizon outside his window just as he finished most of his work.

The next phase would be to finish tweaking the software he had been designing to run the new hardware, and then install it. However, a feeling of fatigue washed over him and he yawned so hard that his jaw cracked. I'm more tired than I thought, he mused as he rubbed his temples warily.

"Guess I'll call it a night," he muttered out loud to himself. He decided he would simply leave his computer up and running; it would make things easier when he came back after some sleep. He couldn't quite stifle a second yawn as he left the office and stepped outside, where he took out his key and locked it externally. Even if he did trust the kids a bit more it was standard procedure; no one was allowed to know about his tech.

He entered the bedroom and found that Marge had already gone to sleep. He rolled his eyes as he sat on the edge of the bed and began to take his shoes off. She snores so loudly I think I have a chainsaw for a wife, he thought tiredly as he peeled his socks off of his feet. He made a face. Gotta remember to start changing my socks daily. Either that or get some odor eaters.

He took his shirt and removed his belt, then stretched out atop the bed still wearing his pants. He decided he would simply go to sleep like that.

Within minutes, Frank had dozed off, unaware that he had joined his sleeping wife in a chorus of ungodly snores.


	4. Chapter 4

Hannah couldn't sleep. It was one of those nights where she tossed and turned. It just seemed impossible to find a comfortable position to lay and, even when she did, sleep refused to come.

That's what you get for drinking so much soda before you go to bed, she scolded herself. Of course it was something she often did and she'd paid the price for it many times. Nevertheless, it wasn't a habit she would stop anytime soon.

At least Greg was happy because Uncle Frank had purchased plenty of food from the grocery store, which apparently included some of her brother's favorite snacks such as potato chips and pretzels. On top of that, Uncle Frank had plugged the old Xbox 360 into the television just to give Greg something to do and to keep him quiet. As a result, Greg spent hours there after dinner and had eventually fallen asleep on the couch.

Aunt Marge and Uncle Frank didn't seem to care as long as their niece and nephew were fed and entertained. In truth, Hannah had been hoping that Uncle Frank would allow her to play some games on his computer. He used to let in her there, sometimes, when she was younger as long as he was there to supervise. But whatever he was doing now, she got the distinct vibe that he didn't want anyone in there other than himself.

It made her all the more curious what he was doing in his office. She knew he worked in there, but what was the current project he was working on? Why was he being so secretive about it? She had tried opening the door once after Frank had gone to bed, only to find it locked. He'd never seemed so adamant about keeping people out before.

I almost wish it wasn't Spring Break, Hannah thought with a sigh. She wasn't especially fond of school, but perhaps her parents would have left her and Greg home if it was a regular school week. Instead she had been left in a boring house where no one wanted to do anything with her and she had nothing to do.

If I was at home I could at least be learning to drive, she thought with a discontented sigh. She had her learner's permit in her purse along with fifty dollars she'd earned in exchange for some yard work she'd done for a few of her neighbors back home. But at present there was nothing she could do with either. Aunt Marge didn't seem inclined to take her anywhere, nor did Frank. She highly doubted either of them wanted to take the time to teach her to drive, either.

Come on, I've gotta fall asleep, she thought as she rolled over onto her side. She squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. I've gotta get some sleep, or…

Or what? A realization dawned on her. In this house it wouldn't matter if she slept in late as a result of insomnia. Since the kitchen was stocked with ready-to-make food and a few things that didn't even need to be cooked, Marge and Frank probably expected the kids to fend for themselves anyway. They wouldn't even noticed if she slept most of the day away.

Besides, it wasn't like she had to get up early to catch the school bus. That was one major plus.

She turned on her bedroom light and grabbed a book from the nearby shelf. Most of the novels were covered with dust and several of them were worn with many creases along their spines. Apparently this was the room that her aunt and uncle put older books they didn't read very often.

Hannah ended up reading "Nancy Drew and the Mystery of the Old Clock". She found the main character to be a bit too sugar-sweet and considered Nancy to be a Mary Sue. She also found that the mystery unraveled itself a bit too smoothly as some of the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place a bit too easily. Well, Hannah thought as she read on, at least it's better than Twilight.

However she found herself unable to finish the book, so she ended up grabbing another one. She took "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" from the shelf and finished it within a few hours. She then set it aside on the edge of her bed. Shortly after her head hit the pillow she drifted off to sleep and began to dream of being in a whole different world where different kinds of creatures lived, physical laws were different, and time itself operated differently.

She eventually awoke to the sound of someone banging on her door and the dream faded from her mind like a snowflake on someone's fingertip. "Ugh," Hannah grunted as she tried to ignore the sound. She still felt tired, even if the sunlight blared through her bedroom window.

What time is it anyway? A brief glance at the wall clock made her blink in surprise. "Two in the afternoon?" She sat straight up, throwing the covers aside. "Holy crap. I've never slept this late before."

She also realized she was starving and she felt a little dehydrated.

"Hannah!" a familiar voice shouted, accompanied by another round of banging on her door.

"Greg…" Hannah inhaled deeply and took a moment to stretch her arms over her head. She stood, walked over to the door and opened it. "What do you want, Greg?" she asked grouchily.

"You were still sleeping?" Greg asked in astonishment. "And you say I'm lazy."

Hannah scowled at him. In truth she was still waiting for the cobwebs to leave her brain; they always seemed to be there when she first woke up. "Just tell me what you want."

"I want you to make us some lunch. I'm starving!"

"Why don't you make something yourself?" Hannah ran a hand through her hair and grimaced. She still had bed hair, which reminded her of something she'd forgotten to do.

"I don't want to cook. That's something that girls do," Greg grumbled as he walked into her room. He followed her as she went to retrieve her purse from her dresser.

"You're just lazy," Hannah grumbled. She fished through her purse until she found her hairbrush, then she briskly straightened out her unkempt hair. Thankfully it was only chin-length and it was fairly straight, meaning it didn't tangle too much.

"Says the girl who slept in until two in the afternoon!" Greg retorted.

"I had a rough night," Hannah growled. She finished brushing her hair and put the brush back in her purse. "What have you been doing all day, anyway?"

"Oh… stuff."

"Playing video games, you mean."

"Hey I have to finish Kingdom Crucifix because Keith wants it back when I get home!"

"Weren't you supposed to be reading a book over Spring Break? You know, for English class?"

"I'll get to it!"

"Yeah," Hannah rolled her eyes. "You might as well call your teacher and tell you to grade you an F on that book report and get it over with."

"Oh you are such a smarty-pants just because you get A's and B's all the time. You just don't understand that you gotta relax sometimes, too, or your head explodes!"

"You're just making excuses." Hannah folded her arms. "Either that or you're jealous."

"I am not! I'm just as good at school as you are!"

"Then why don't you study more?"

"Stop trying to be Mom! I'm so sick of you trying to-"

"I'm not trying to be anybody," Hannah stated firmly, then she sighed. "Look, just forget it. You want lunch, I'll make lunch. I'm hungry too." With that she headed out of her room with Greg on her heels.

"What're you gonna make?" Greg demanded as he tailgated her down the stairs. "You better make something good. I'm not eating anything gross like your pot pies or pasta salads."

Hannah grunted as she entered the kitchen. "I'm just going to make something quick and simple," she stated more harshly than she intended.

"Man, you're a grouch."

"Shut up." Hannah desperately needed food in her stomach and possibly some caffeine to improve her mood. Then she could begin acting like a civil human being. "Go play on the Xbox or something until I'm done in here."

"Yeah, okay, Mom." Greg said snarkily, but at least he had the good sense to leave her alone after that. Perhaps it had something to do with the death glare she gave him in response.

Hannah began to heat up some water in the coffee maker and then proceeded to slice up a couple of bananas into strips. After spreading some peanut-butter onto four slices of bread, she put the banana strips on the bread and then had two sandwiches ready.

She wolfed hers down as she finished fixing herself a cup of coffee. She added cream and then took a big sip, grimacing and wheezing through her nose as it burned her tongue. Nevertheless, she was starting to feel a bit better.

"Greg, lunch is ready," she called as she opened the freezer. She grabbed an ice cube and deposited it into her coffee.

"Okay, bring it in here!" Greg called from the living room.

Hannah pursed her lips. "I'm not your personal maid. You can come get it yourself."

She ignored the curse word Greg uttered as he walked reluctantly into the kitchen and looked around. "Where is it?" he asked.

Hannah jabbed a thumb at the kitchen table without even turning around. "Over there." She carefully took another deep sip from her cup; the ice cube helped prevent it from burning her mouth this time.

Greg grumbled unhappily. "A sandwich? I thought you were going to make ramen noodles or something."

"If you don't like it, make something else."

"No, it's okay I guess." Greg picked up the plate and sniffed the sandwich. "What is it?" He gingerly lifted the bread to peer at it. "Yuck, banana and peanut butter. Way to ruin a good banana."

"If you don't like it-" Hannah started to growl again.

"No, it's okay," Greg interjected, rolling his eyes. "I'll just spruce it up a little." He grabbed the bag of potato chips from the counter and reached inside, taking out a large handful of chips. He then spread it all around the sandwich on the plate. "That's better," he said. He opened the fridge and snatched up a soda can.

"Glad it's acceptable now," Hannah muttered as she drank the rest of her coffee.

Greg returned to the couch in the living room without another word. With nothing else better to do, Hannah proceeded up the stairs and went back to her bedroom. She turned on her cell phone and checked for messages; there were twelve, seven of them from Donna.

Hannah answered each of the texts. One of them was from Damian, the cute boy from her school whom she had a crush on. However he didn't respond back; the one person who was available to exchange texts was Donna, who became more and more annoying by the minute.

Finally Hannah made an excuse about needing to do something and shut off the phone. Sighing, she slipped the phone into her pocket and left her room. "Aunt Marge," she called out as she passed her Uncle and Aunt's bedroom, "if you're in there I'm going out for a walk."

"Make sure you're home before dark," was all Marge said.

Hannah went back downstairs and nearly ran into Uncle Frank as he was starting to come up. "Oh, Hannah," he exclaimed, startled. "Excuse me." He began to move past her; he seemed to be in a hurry.

Hannah watched him as he dashed up the steps and then disappeared from sight. She shrugged; knowing him he probably left one of his tools or something up there. "Yeah, see you around." She opened the door and stepped outside.

0o0o0o0o

Frank had been in his office all day, working hard. The newly built converter device had been completed and plugged into his computer the night before, but he still had a long way to go before he could test it out.

He sat in his desk chair with his eyes glued to his monitor. His fingers flew across his keyboard in a steady rhythm as he worked to complete the software that would control and run the device. The program was nearly finished; the main thing he needed to do was finish checking it over for potential mistakes or glitches.

Of course, it would be hard to find the glitches or smooth out the mistakes and possible complications until he had a chance to test it out.

It was going to be another long work day; he'd already resigned himself to that fact. He didn't mind though, especially since he was doing what he loved doing best. The only times he left his office were when he needed to rush to the bathroom or to get something to eat and drink.

Otherwise he remained transfixed with his work, as if nothing else in the world existed or mattered. Which for him, it didn't, at least not now.

The hours flowed by quickly, seeming only like minutes. Frank made a few final adjustments to the software he had designed and built up from scratch, then gave a little nod at the screen. He had already performed a few rudimentary tests on portions of it but now it was time to give it a full test. That meant installing it for real and seeing how it handled the hardware.

With a few clicks of the mouse and a few taps of his keyboard, he began to installation process. The words "Please Wait" appeared on the screen, just above a progress bar that showed the percentage of the install.

Frank yawned as he lifted his wrist to glance at his watch. He blinked. Was it really that late already? This wasn't the first time he regretted that this office had no windows. It was impossible to tell when the sun had set or even what the weather was doing outside for that matter.

While that's going on, he thought as he stood as stretched, I'm going to step outside and get a smoke. He used to enjoy his cigars in the living room, but Marge couldn't stand the smell. They'd gotten into some nasty arguments over it and, when Frank finally smoked one cigar too many in the house, Marge ended up kicking him out for the night. This had forced him to sleep rather uncomfortably in the back seat of his car.

The fat cow rules the roost, Frank thought as he stepped out of the office and locked the door behind him. The program installation could proceed without him in the room; it might take a while anyway, considering it was a sophisticated piece of software. I'm just her cash cow that lets her live in this luxurious home and enables her high-society friends to keep liking her.

Frank had no doubt that if he ever lost his job, she would be fully capable of throwing him out of his own house. If that ever happens she can have it, he thought with an unamused chuckled. I'd love to see how long she could afford it on her own.

He passed through the living room on the way to the door, glancing at Greg's sleeping form on the couch. The television was still on with the image of a game character on the screen. It seemed that the boy had been equipping an elf character in a fantasy game when he'd dozed off.

Frank simply shook his head and stepped outside. He took a cigar from his pocket along with his lighter, inhaling deeply as he lit the end of the brown stick. I should give up this habit someday, he thought, not for the first time. It was something he told himself every night.

Yet he never did.

I guess there's some things in life you know are bad for you, but you never want to give them up. He inhaled deeply again and had to resist the urge to gag. Instead he simply wheezed. Take it easy. Don't want to asphyxiate yourself all in one night.

He sat down on the porch step, gazing thoughtfully at the sky. He held his cigar absent-mindedly between his index finger and thumb as he gazed into the heavens, admiring the glimmering stars that spread across the cloudless sky. I wonder if there is life out there, he thought.

Then his mind returned to thoughts of his current work. I wonder if there is life in computers, he found himself thinking. It seemed absurd but… perhaps it was something he would soon find out.


	5. Chapter 5

Hannah Forbes had returned from her walk around the area after the sun had gone down. She then tip-toed across the threshold of the front door, hoping she wasn't caught or heard. If this had been her parents' house while they were home, one of them (or at least the maid) probably would have caught her. But in this house, that didn't seem to be the case.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she made it to her bedroom, shut the door gently, and collapsed on her bed. Overall it had been a fun night "out on the town", as it were. The semi-practical part of her brain had warned her not to spend all of her money, but she'd ignored it. She had been bored out of her mind and feeling more than a little impulsive.

Besides, she figured that if she was going to be stuck babysitting her brother and being ignored by her Aunt and Uncle, she deserved at least one evening of fun. To make it even better, she stumbled across a coffee shop where Jill just happened to be. Jill was a girl who used to attend the same school as Hannah until she moved; the two girls had been delighted to see each other.

They talked about everything new going on in their lives, checked out the local mall (Hannah was both excited and jealous that Jill had her license and her own car) and ate dinner at a local Friendly's. After all of that, Jill dropped Hannah off at her Aunt and Uncle's house and agreed to hang onto Hannah's purchases until she could mail them to her parents' house in New Hampshire.

Hannah simply didn't want her Aunt and Uncle to know that she'd been out shopping, or Greg to know that she'd eaten out and didn't bring him anything.

Being out with a friend had been just the thing to lift her spirits. The only problem was that she once again found herself unable to drift off. She tossed and turned in her bed, finding that this was another of those nights where insomnia chose to kick in with a vengeance.

She spent some time here and there texting on her cell phone and reading another novel from the Chronicles of Narnia. Sometimes I wish I could go to another world, she thought as she finally put "Prince Caspian" back on the dusty shelf. She sighed tiredly as she rested her head against her pillow and stared up at the ceiling.

Why do Mom and Dad have to go on so many business trips anyway? She frowned. They never had time to spend with her; they hadn't even taken her anywhere nice since she was six. All they cared about was their jobs and the fact that their kids were doing okay in school. It sometimes felt as though they often forgot they even had kids.

Hannah loved her Uncle Frank dearly, especially since he used to take her out to places when she was much younger. He used to go to the carnival with her, or at least the candy store. She used to love going to her Uncle's house because at least he acted more like a loving parent than her own parents did.

Yet apparently that had changed. At times it seemed as though everyone had forgotten that she existed ever since she became a teenager. Perhaps it was because she had proven herself to be responsible enough that everybody figured she didn't need any attention.

Then again… she knew exactly what it was. Ever since her youngest aunt had finally gotten married and had a baby, that kid got all the attention nowadays. Her relatives seemed to go completely crazy over cute little babies and younger kids, but they forgot about the older ones once they reached a certain age.

And when in the world were she, Mom, Dad and, yes, even Greg, supposed to go on this wondrous, ideal vacation that Mom kept promising they would go on "someday"? They kept saying that they were saving up money to go somewhere really nice, such as Hawaii, but they'd been saying that for years and it had never happened.

I know why they keep saying that, Hannah realized as an epiphany struck her. They're just saying that because deep down, they feel guilty. They have their own lives and they don't want to be around me… or Greg. They just keep reciting an old promise over and over so they can fool themselves into thinking it means something.

Sometimes, self-delusion was a way to fend off guilt and defend one's position at the same time. The only problem was that it was like a fake smile, the kind that only fools and idiots didn't see right through.

Hannah slapped her pillow in frustration and rolled onto her side, staring at the wall with a sigh. Obviously there would be no sleep tonight; she had too much on her mind and she was too agitated. It was, unfortunately, what some people would dismiss as "teenage angst". Which was why she didn't even want to talk to some people about her problems. People tended to be a bit too dismissive at times.

In truth, she had hoped that she could play some games on her Uncle's computer, especially since she always preferred PC games rather than Xbox games (Greg was hogging the Xbox anyway), but apparently that was not going to happen. Uncle Frank had some kind of "pull" or partnership with a few Very Important People, individuals who had resources. Frank Forbes had always been an eccentric man with a very intelligent mind, although some of his ideas could often be seen as… odd, or at least unorthodox.

He was also known to have some rather odd habits and a strange obsession with computers, something that his wife could confirm. Hannah's Aunt would even go as far as to say that he "loved that damned computer" more than he cared about her, considering all the time he spent with it.

The only reason that Hannah knew anything at all was because of her curious, sometimes nosey nature. She had eavesdropped on some phone calls that her Uncle made to those mysterious, Very Important People who apparently funded some kind of super-secret project that Frank wouldn't tell anyone about. It seemed that not even Aunt Marge knew anything about it, and she seemed disinclined to find out. Therefore, Hannah relied heavily on her own nosiness to learn the bare minimum of what she could.

Finally it had reached a point where her somewhat rebellious, sixteen-year-old mind couldn't stand it anymore. She had nothing else better to do anyway. It was already four in the morning, which meant that Aunt Marge was in bed and Greg had most likely fallen asleep on the couch. Her brother did that nearly every night at home, too; he would exhaust himself after playing numerous Games on his Xbox 360 and drift off in front of the television.

Even then, at this very early hour, she still had to wait a little while longer before she could safely approach the office where her Uncle kept his computer. It seemed that he often stayed up late working on it, doing who-knew-what. He would never say what he was doing in there and he wouldn't let her in like he sometimes used to. There had been times in the past when he allowed her play games on it, at least while he was in the room with her, but now it seemed he wanted no one but himself to be anywhere near the machine.

She ended up having to wait until he went outside to smoke one of his cigars to sneak into his office. She knew that he always stepped out onto the front porch to do that because his wife despised the smell. I think Aunt Marge has thrown him a blanket and pillow and made him sleep outside whenever he stinks up the house with a cigar, she thought to herself with amusement.

Hannah waited in the shadows of the hallway, crouched next to a small table until she heard the sound of the front door shutting. Even then she waited a moment longer, just to make absolutely certain, and then she finally got to her feet and tip-toed toward the office. She gritted her teeth each time her feet caused a creak in the wooden floor beneath the carpet. In complete darkness, especially after everyone had gone to bed and everything had been turned off, even the slightest sound seemed amplified.

Her breath quickened as she moved. It felt like she was moving at a turtle's pace, therefore it seemed like an eternity until she reached the office door-an eternity that made her feel as though her Uncle could come back in at any second and catch her. The least he would do is ask her why the hell she was still up, to which she could, perhaps, say she wanted a drink or water or something. But if he caught her trying to sneak into his office, especially after he expressly forbid anyone from going inside… he might throw her a blanket and pillow and force her to sleep outside.

She wouldn't put it past him, considering how gosh-darn secretive he was being. She simply wanted to find out why he was being so secretive.

Hannah's fingers tentatively encircled the round doorknob that would lead to her Uncle's office. She licked her lips nervously and cast a quick glance down the hall. She'd heard no sounds to indicate that Uncle Frank was coming back in and, she knew that whenever he went out for a smoke, he was out there for at least twenty minutes. Still, the paranoid part of her mind believed in Murphy's Law; it would be just her luck if he came back inside sooner for some reason just as she went inside.

Of course, all of this depended on whether or not the door was locked. She took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and decided that it was now or never.

The doorknob turned in her hand, clicking as the latch released. She almost gasped softly in her delight as she pulled the door open, nearly disbelieving her luck. Either Uncle Frank forgot to lock the door, or he figured that everyone else was asleep and that nobody would try to slip in while he was outside. Either way, his foolish oversight was exactly what she'd hoped for.

She stepped into the office and slowly closed it to a crack behind her. She knew better than to leave it open in case her Aunt happened to wake up and pass by, but she wanted to leave it ajar so that she could bolt quickly from the room if she needed to.

And there sat the desktop computer in all of its glory. A sixteen-inch flat screen monitor sat in the center of a cluttered desk whose contents could be seen as "organized chaos". Hastily scribbled notes, instruction manuals for hardware and software, a couple of text books pertaining to high levels of math and physics, and a few excess pieces of circuitry were scattered all about the top of the desk. Yet they appeared to be positioned in such a way that, despite how messy it made the desk look, Uncle Frank would know where each and every item was if he chose to reach for one.

Hannah eyed the desk curiously, yet she did not touch anything. Knowing how OCD her Uncle could be about his stuff, he would probably be able to tell if something was moved or even touched. So she simply sank down into the computer chair, nestling against its faux leather upholstery. It made the exposed skin on her arms stick to it.

Something inside her brain told her that she should get the hell out of the room, now, if she knew what was good for her. But she knew that she still had a few more minutes, at least, until Uncle Frank came back inside.

"I've come this far," she murmured to herself. "I might as well see what all of this is about!"

Very tentatively, as if the computer itself might bite her if she fooled around with it, she touched the mouse and the keyboard. The black screensaver clicked off in response to her touch, and she found that some kind of program had been left running.

"What is this?" she whispered, eyeing it curiously.

Hannah frowned at the computer screen, trying to figure out what exactly she was looking at before she touched anything. It looked as though some kind of software had just finished installing, and it wanted to know if it should continue the initialization process.

"What does that mean?" the girl murmured to herself. What was this program for, and what would it do if it finished initializing?

Part of her knew she was treading into dangerous water now. If she did something stupid to screw up her Uncle's computer or program, she would be in big trouble. He might not even let her come back to his house in the future, which would also make her parents furious because they'd be short one more place to dump her and Greg into during their next business trip.

Still… what could it possibly hurt?

A soft beeping interrupted her thought processes. She grumbled in annoyance as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her cell phone. It was one of the very nice things she owned that she could take credit for purchasing with her own money, even if Mom and Dad took care of the monthly bill since she didn't have a steady job.

It was a very fancy with a touch screen, the ability to connect to the internet, watch movies and shows, play a very limited amount of games, and of course call and text people on her contact list. She'd honestly forgotten that it was in her back pocket; she thought she had left it in her purse, back in her bedroom.

She sighed and touched the screen. Ah, another text from Donna… apparently some punk nearly ran her best friend's car off the road while they were out on the highway. Apparently the car was fine and so were they, but Donna had gotten a bad case of whip-lash and she felt like she was going to die, blah, blah, blah…

Hannah rolled her eyes and cobbled together a sympathy text and sent it, rolling her eyes again when she remembered that Greg had a crush on that girl. It was just a few seconds later when Donna replied, but Hannah shut her phone off and set it in her lap; she had something else she wanted to do now. She'd already wasted enough time, and she couldn't afford getting caught in her Uncle's office.

She touched the mouse, moving the cursor to tell the software to finish initializing, mentally crossing her fingers.

However, it quickly became evident that this was going to be a slow-going process. Whatever this software was, it apparently was extremely sophisticated. Most programs only took a few minutes to install at most, in her experience at least.

Ugh, this is taking forever, Hannah thought impatiently. She drummed her fingers against her knee in agitation, mentally urging the process to hurry up. Her eyes began to scan the room while she waited, glancing through everything that rested on the desk.

That was when she noticed something in particular. Her roaming gaze settled upon a CD case containing a game, the very one that Uncle Frank had allowed her play on his computer the last time she was at his house. That had been back before all of this super-secret stuff had started, even if he had been protective of his computer even then. He always made it plain that he did not want her playing games or even touching his system if he wasn't physically in the room with her.

"Hmm," Hannah mused thoughtfully. It wasn't the greatest game in the world, but it was an excellent boredom tamer. She had won it the last time she played it, perhaps she could win it again.

She popped open the secondary DVD drive on the computer, leaving the top one alone because the little green light was flashing. That indicated that the software being installed was being gleaned from a disk in the main DVD drive.

A small part of Hannah's brain reminded her of something she had been taught; it was never a good idea to run a game or any other program while anything was being installed, especially a large, sophisticated program like this seemed to be. But she figured that maybe if she simply ran it for a few minutes, it wouldn't bother much. After all, this computer had been upgraded. Hadn't Uncle Frank bragged to his benefactors on the phone that it had a quad-core processor? That was just one tidbit Hannah had overheard in her snooping.

"Just a few minutes," she whispered to herself as she popped the disk in and closed the DVD drive. Hopefully it was still installed on the hard drive. "Just a quick game and then I'll get out of it."

She cast a wary glance toward the door. Uncle Frank showed no signs of returning yet. She hoped he would just stay outside and enjoy an extra smoke or two.


	6. Chapter 6

The spherical shape of a portal formed in the middle of the city within the system that the inhabitants had named Watson Codec. A few passersby paused to gaze upon the portal, some curious and others wary.

A lone, feminine figure stepped out of the portal and entered the system, planting her feet firmly on the ground. She straightened to her full height and looked around, taking in the view.

She was a fresh graduate from the Guardian Academy who had just returned home from the Supercomputer. This was her system, the place where she was compiled. It was a place that needed a Guardian to look after it, a role she'd always dreamed she would fill once she completed her training.

Her name was Anna Code and she was a female sprite of average height and build. Her short red hair was styled simply and she wore the feminine version of the standard blue Guardian attire with golden shoulder straps and a pair of tall black boots.

"By the Net, it's a Guardian!" a voice shouted. Anna turned to see a pair of binomes staring openly at her with their mouths hanging open. One of them was pointing at her, his outstretched arm trembling.

"I am a Guardian," Anna acknowledged. She took a few careful steps forward and squatted down to their level. "But I'm here to protect this system. I used to live here; I'm Anna Code."

Judging from their still-terrified expressions, that name meant nothing to them. "Y-you aren't going to start shooting at us, are you?"

Anna sighed inwardly. She eyed the pistol firmly attached to her belt; it was the standard weapon she had used during training, before a Keytool chose her. Even so, she couldn't imagine being without it. "I only plan to use this against Viruses and Users," she stated gently but firmly. "I'm here to protect your system against threats and to win Games for you. That is all." Her pink lips softened into a slight smile.

They didn't seem entirely convinced, but at least they stopped shaking. In a way, Anna couldn't blame them. Ever since Daemon had infected the entire Guardian collective (including Anna herself) and then nearly destroyed the entire Net, some people were more than a little wary of Guardians.

Anna figured it was up to her to change their minds, at least in this system. She was a little disappointed and stung that the inhabitants weren't giving her the benefit of the doubt. She was originally from this system, after all. Then again, she supposed that she couldn't expect a big warm "Welcome Home" from everyone, especially those who'd never known her in the first place.

"ANNA!"

An ecstatic female voice caught her attention, causing her to turn around. Then Anna nearly got knocked over as another, slightly taller sprite ran at her and enveloped her into a firm hug.

"Oh Anna, I've missed you so much! I'm so happy you came home okay!"

Anna grinned and returned the hug fiercely. "Kat, it's wonderful to see you, Sis!"

Katherine held Anna against her for a moment longer, then released the younger sprite and held her by the shoulders. "Let me get a good look at you, girl! Holy User, you've got a Guardian Uniform and everything! And…" Kat's eyes widened and her mouth formed an "O" shape. "You have a Keytool? One actually chose you? By the Net, you are so lucky!"

Anna gave a chuckle, delighted by her sister's enthusiasm. "His name is Cappaten," the young Guardian announced proudly, raising her arm and letting Kat get a good look. "He doesn't talk much, but he's very handy to have around."

"By the Net, that is amazing! He's so pretty!" Kat stared at the silver-colored Keytool, as if longing to touch it.

"Come on, Kat, tell me about what I've missed," Anna urged, resting her hand on Kat's shoulder. "It's been many hours since I've been back here. What's new? What's changed?"

"Well…" Katherine looked at the ground, forlornly. "They've finally finished building up this sector, for one."

For a moment, Anna wasn't sure what she meant. Then it became evident to her, and memories flashed through the young Guardian's processor. "Oh… oh my," Anna breathed as she looked around. "This is where it happened, isn't it?"

Kat nodded, and the two of them simply stared at their surroundings in silence.

"At least it's not decimated anymore," Kat finally said into the silence. "It's good that they repaired it and built new homes and shops. It's better that way."

"You can always build new structures. That doesn't replace the people we lost," Anna stated stiffly. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

Kat gently took her hand. "Mom and Dad live on in our hearts," she encouraged, giving Anna's hand a squeeze. "I know they would be very, very proud of you if they could see you now."

Anna was still and silent for a long moment, then she nodded. "This is the very reason why I became a Guardian," she said with conviction. "I'm going to protect this System and anything that threatens it. What the User did, and what Daemon tried to do," she raised her fist to the sky, "that is not going to happen again. Not if I have anything to say about it."

Katherine's eyes widened into saucers. "Wow, Sis, that's pretty intense!"

"I mean every word of it."

"Yeah, but… wow," Kat breathed. "I knew the Academy would probably change you, but you really looked so… fierce just now."

"You have no idea what Daemon made me do, while I was infected," Anna stated, her voice taking on a brittle edge. "I did terrible things, and I was aware of it the whole time. Now that the Infection is gone…" She hung her head, her shoulders slumping. "I have to live with the memory of what I did."

"Honey, we were all infected by Daemon. No one was in the right mind at that point, it wasn't your fault."

Anna lifted her gaze and her eyes bored into her sister's. That intense, fierce scowl accompanied by the icy hatred in the Guardian's tone made Kat shiver. "You're right, it's not my fault. It was Daemon's fault, and it was the User's fault. Those are the greatest threats to any system; Viruses and Users. And so help me," she clenched her fist against her chest, "I will destroy any who invade my System."

A trace of fear flashed through Kat's eyes, though she was more startled than anything.

Anna noticed her sister's expression after a moment, and softened. "Look," she said, lowering her arm, "I just got back. Let's go somewhere to eat and catch up, it's been a long time since we've had a girl talk." She smiled.

Kat seemed to relax, smiling in return. She was relieved that at least some of the sister she remembered was still in there, despite the vengeful attitude Anna had developed. "Sure, there's this cute restaurant not from here you've got to see."

"Oh yeah? Do they serve chips?"

"Your favorite kind," Kat giggled. "They even have energy shakes that give you an extra kick."

"Now that sounds awesome," Anna beamed.

Kat grinned and relaxed even more, putting a swing her step as they walked. Whenever the two of them got together they could always lower their guard around each other, almost to the point of acting like little sprites again. She was very happy to find that that had not changed, at least.

"There's another reason I want to go to that place," Kat admitted with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Oh?"

"There's somebody who wants to see you," Kat replied in a sing-song voice.

"Oh Kat, what are you up to?"

"You will see!" Kat giggled. "Here." She handed Anna a spare Zip Board, and then threw out her own. "Let's go, it's not far!" She jumped onto it and zipped away.

"Hey, wait for me!" Anna threw out her own Zip Board and hurried after her sister.

A few cycles later they arrived at the restaurant Kat wanted to go to. It was a charming little place, not too big and not too small. Some sprites and binomes were sitting outside at tall tables in tall chairs, but there were many more inside.

A familiar-looking sprite was seated at one of the tables. A handsome male sprite who was Anna's age, with short brown hair, brown eyes, and a simple reddish brown outfit that accentuated his muscular figure tastefully.

"George!" Kat called out, getting the male sprite's attention. "We're here!"

As the sisters approached the table where he sat, his eyes met with Anna's. She found herself transfixed by those deep brown orbs, lost in the sea of dark chocolate richness that revealed a kind soul underneath.

"George Mount?" Anna whispered, frozen in place. Why was her energy pulse pounding so hard in her chest? What was wrong with her?

Kat looked between each of them and guffawed. "You've both got it bad! Then again, you always have!" She gave Anna a smack on the behind, jolting her sister back to awareness.

Anna glared at Kat severely. She always hated it when she did that.

"Sit down!" Kat urged with a laugh, gesturing toward the chair across from George. "I'm gonna go get some menus. You two can catch up." She winked at George, and then leaned in close to whisper into Anna's ear. "Don't let anybody else in the System bother you. I know he's been looking forward to seeing you. He's talked about nothing else!" With that, Kat chuckled again and walked into the building.

Anna hopped into the chair across from George smoothly with an apparent ease that she did not feel. She stared down at the table for a long moment, caressing imaginary creases out of the tablecloth. "Hello, George," she finally said, more stiffly than she intended.

"Hi, Anna," he greeted. His voice was soft and rich; it had a soothing quality that sent ripples down her bitmap. "You look good, that uniform really suits you."

"Thank you." Anna felt her cheeks brighten. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it has."

A short, awkward silence ensued.

"So uh, they finished rebuilding the Omega Sector," George said, trying to kick-start the conversation.

"I noticed… I just came from there."

"Oh, okay." George cleared his throat and tugged at his shirt collar.

"Yeah, it's where the Portal decided to drop me." Anna narrowed her eyes fractionally. "Figures that that'd be the first place I would end up when I re-entered this system."

George sighed. "I'm sorry, I know that must still be a painful memory. It's where your parents…"

"Were nullified in a game while you, me, Kat, and everybody else our age were at school when we were kids. Yeah."

"I'm sorry," George said again, feeling awkward.

Anna looked at him, feeling a little bad. "No, don't be sorry. It happened, and it's over. It's just…" She looked away. "Still a sore spot for me I guess."

George reached across the table and gently touched her hand. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Do you want to talk about it?"

Anna stared down at his hand, feeling its warmth and texture against hers. What was this strange feeling inside of her? She had always liked George a lot, even when she was a little kid. But she had never felt this way around him before. She cleared her throat and fought the impulse to tug her hand away. "Not really," she swallowed.

George frowned slightly. "You didn't want to talk about it back then, either. Not with anyone. Not even Kat."

"Kat was the one who needed to talk more than I did. She spent nearly a full minute crying after it happened."

"I never saw you cry much, except that one time… the moment you heard the news you burst into tears, and I held you."

"Crying is useless." Anna pulled her hand away. She had never cried since that day, something she prided herself on. Crying was what weak little kids did, something she now considered herself above. Back then she had been helpless, unable to do anything. "I'm a Guardian now," she said aloud, staring off into space. "No one is ever going to get hurt again, not on my watch," she vowed.

George stared at her, blinking. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, though he was saved from having to reply. Kat returned with three menus, and she sat down in the unoccupied chair.

"So, you guys getting re-acquainted?" Kat beamed. One glance at each of them caused her face to falter. "Okay, what did I miss?"

"Nothing," Anna and George replied in unison.

"Uh… okay then." Kat shrugged and handed them each a menu. "My treat. Take your time, decide what you want to order."

They proceeded to study their menus in silence. "I'll have the cluster chips and an energy shake," Anna said aloud. Her eyes barely moved as she studied the menu, making it obvious that she'd known her order all along.

"Yeah, me too." George closed his menu and pushed it across the table.

Kat shrugged and dropped her own menu. "Me three." She leaned out of her chair and gestured at a sprite wearing an apron. "Waiter! We're ready to order!"

Once their orders had been placed, the trio sat in silence for a few nanos.

"So," Kat finally said into the silence, "Anna is a full-fledged Guardian now, with a Keytool!"

"Oh," George said, perking up a bit. "You have a Keytool?"

"Yeah, his name is Cappaten! Isn't he beautiful?" Kat gushed.

Anna smirked and shook her head slightly at them as they strained to look at her arm. She rested her arm on the tabletop, letting them gaze upon her Keytool. Cappaten wasn't programmed to respond much, except in dire circumstances or if it wished to converse with fellow Keytools.

Even if Cappaten chose to speak, no one except its bonded Guardian could understand it anyway, save for the Prime Guardian. Turbo was a unique case; he could comprehend all Keytools, not just Copland.

"I don't pretend to know everything about Guardians, but I at least know that it's very rare for a Guardian to be chosen," George said, eyeing Cappaten with awe. Then he met Anna's eyes with his own. "Just shows you're special."

Something about the way he said that made Anna flush. "Well, you're special too," Anna replied, leaning forward a little.

George was leaning forward as well. "I've really missed you, you know." His eyes traced her bitmap, taking in her fully developed form. Everything from her hair, her face, her figure… she just looked so perfect, like a mythical angel from a Game he'd been in once. "I always knew you'd come home someday. But I never knew you'd be this beautiful."

He coughed, feeling self-conscious.

Anna preened, brushing a lock of her ruby-red hair behind her ear. "Yeah, well… I know I've grown up a lot since those days."

"You sure have."

"So have you, Georgie."

"Georgie, huh? I think I could get used to that."

"Kat, shut up." Anna glared.

Katherine was sitting forward with her elbows resting on the table, watching them closely as if they were a show playing for her own entertainment. She had her hands pressed against her mouth, trying unsuccessfully to suppressed her delighted giggles.

"Oh this is just beautiful," Kat gushed.

"Kat, shut up." Unlike Anna, George sounded amused.

"Here are your orders, everyone," came a voice; the waiter had returned. He set a tray down in front of each sprite, each tray containing identical dishes.

"Thanks," George told the waiter, as Kat released a delighted squeal.

"Oh this is just like old times!" Kat exclaimed, and began to dig in.

George smiled at the sentiment, and decided to offer one of his own. He lifted his energy shake and cleared his throat. "To old times," he toasted, and took a sip.

Anna smiled. "To coming home." She lifted her shake, and took a deep gulp.

Kat grinned and joined in. "To reunions!" She glugged down half of her shake so quickly she nearly choked on it.

"Now I know you haven't changed much," Anna laughed.

The moment was ruined when a loud explosion sounded off nearby. Screams filled the air as several sprites and binomes began to run from the source.

"What in the Net?" Anna was already out of her chair, her meal forgotten. "Cappaten, scan."

The silver Keytool beeped and gave her a readout. Her eyes widened and she gasped in horror. "A virus!"

"A virus? Here? How-" George realized Anna was already running. "Hey, wait up!"

"Stay there!" Anna snapped over her shoulder, as she ran down the street toward the noise.

George and Kat exchanged glances. "She's a Guardian," George said. "She can handle it."

"But she's my sister!" Kat jumped off of her chair. "I'm going with her."

"Kat, no!" But the female sprite was already off. George sighed and shook his head. Those girls had one thing in common; they could both be so impulsive. But Kat had no defenses; Anna could defend herself at least.

"Kat, wait!" George began to chase after her.


	7. Chapter 7

Anna used Cappaten to pinpoint the exact location of the Virus. She found it a short time later, moving down a different street and attacking a few binomes.

It was large and scorpion-shaped, having a long curved tail dripping with venom and a pair of scissor-like claws snapping at binomes. Six spider-like legs carried it, and it had four eyes that seemed to look in all directions at once.

"Hey, you!" Anna shouted as she dashed into the street. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" She whipped her pistol off of her belt and fired.

The blast impacted the Virus's thick shell, cracking its armor somewhat. It snarled and swung around to face her; she jumped upward to avoid one of its claws. "Cappaten, narrow beam!" A bright red beam shot from the Keytool, impacting the Virus in the center of its four eyes.

It was momentarily stunned; the attack had obviously wounded it. But it was still going. It opened its mouth and released a loud, deafening roar as it swung its tail forward.

Anna flung herself aside as the spur on the end of the tail thrust into the ground where she had been an instant ago. The Virus yanked its sharp tail tip out of the newly formed crack in the ground and swung again, forcing Anna to roll to one side. Once again, it barely missed her. Venom oozed from the stinger, dripping onto the ground beside her head.

"Eat this, Virus!" Anna raised her pistol and fired point-blank into its face.

The virus shrieked in pain. A portion of its shell armor blew off, leaving a portion of weaker bitmap exposed underneath. Anna narrowed her eyes in concentration. She just had to hit the new vulnerability she'd formed, and it would all be over.

However, the virus had other ideas. It swung at her with one of its claws, but then it anticipated her move when she got out of the way; it grabbed her with its other claw. She cried out as she found herself trapped in its clutches, squirming as the pincers cut into her midsection.

Her pistol had fallen from her grasp. "Cappaten, Anything!" she yelled.

The Keytool changed shape into a massive blade with razor-sharp teeth. The Virus screamed with rage as its claw was suddenly sliced from its body. Anna cried out as she and the severed claw smacked against the ground, then she grunted as she worked to pry it off of her.

The virus was still for a long moment, stunned as the sharp pain laced through its body. Then it snarled and turned toward the trapped Guardian, raising its tail to strike with the venomous spur.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"

Anna's eyes widened as she glanced up. "Kat, stop!" She yelled.

Kat was running toward the virus with a metal pole in hand. She screamed a battle cry as she rammed the end of the pole into the beast's Bitmap. It didn't hit its mark because the virus moved; instead of striking the vulnerable area, it skidded off of the armor.

The virus redirected its aim and, with lightening reflexes, struck with its tail once again.

"NO!" Anna screamed as the venomous spike pierced into Kat's chest. For an instant, she could only stare in horror as Kat hung in mid-air like a speared fish. Venom dripped from the edges of the wound and Kat's form flickered a couple of times.

Anna growled thunderously as she thrust the claw that held her apart, breaking it in the process. Anger as well as a sense of urgency fueled her as she made a mad dash for the virus. She dodged its solitary claw as she leaped for the vulnerable point in its armor, and she quickly slammed her fists into it.

The virus began to flicker. She slammed the soft spot again and again, her face contorted with rage. Everything that had built up inside of her over the hours spilled out of her now and into the beast. She pounded harder and harder as the virus grew weaker and flickered in and out more rapidly.

Images flashed through her processor; the sight of the nullified Sector when she was a child, seeing desolation and slithering nulls where there had once been people and buildings. The feelings of anguish and anger when her young mind had realized she would never see her parents again. The horror and fury of awakening after Daemon's infection was cured, realizing everything she had done under the virus's influence…

When the virus before her finally gave one last cry and flickered out of existence, deleted, she screamed so loudly that several binomes who'd been watching the fight fled from their cover as if frightened of her. For a moment, Anna remained crouched exactly where she was, huffing and panting as though she hadn't hit the virus enough. She wanted, needed to hit it again and again, because it hadn't possibly suffered enough.

Suddenly she blinked, and she felt a little stunned at herself. Then a soft moan caught her attention; she turned and gasped as the sight of her sister's flickering form on the ground nearby.

She scrambled to Kat's side, gently rolling her onto her back and cradling Kat's head in her hand. "Kat, oh Kat!" Anna leaned over her weakened form. "Please, just lie still. I'll get help."

Anna glared at a nearby binome. "Don't just stand there, get an ambulance!" she barked, which sent the individual racing off. "Help is on the way," Anna whispered gently. "Oh Kat, why didn't you stay at the restaurant! You should have listened to me!"

"I tried to stop her," came a voice from behind her. Anna glanced up to see George approaching. He looked anguished and guilt stricken. "I couldn't stop her. When she saw you in trouble, she…" He trailed off and looked away.

Anna stared at him for a moment, then looked at her sister again. Her lips moved but she could no longer form words; her throat had shut down.

Kat's form continued to flickered in and out. Her bitmap had become blurred, a fuzzy haze. Her energy was draining and she was fading fast. "Anna," she spoke in a strained voice, "I…" She never got to finish her sentence. Her form flickered one last time, and then she vanished. Deleted.

"No…" Anna found herself clutching at thin air where Kat had been an instant ago, as if that could summon her back. "Kat, no…"

George knelt down beside her. His expression was filled with remorse, his chocolate-colored eyes sympathetic. "I'm so sorry," he told her. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Anna was tense, completely stiff. Very slowly she stood, staring at the ground in front of her where Kat had been. Her form went ramrod straight and rigid as her hands clenched at her sides.

She couldn't cry. She wouldn't. She hadn't cried since she was a child, and there was no place for tears now. She wouldn't be seen as a weakling, not when her System needed a defender more than ever.

"Anna, it's not your fault," George was saying.

"I'm a Guardian," Anna finally exploded, whirling to face him. "I am supposed to prevent things like this from happening! I should have saved her!"

"You did everything you could," George told her, speaking gently but firmly. "Kat knew the risks. I…" He hung his head. "I blame myself, I should have tried harder to stop her before she left the restaurant. If only I had grabbed her or…"

"Yeah, maybe you should have!" Anna barked. "You could have knocked her down and sat on her or something. Instead you just let her run off and get herself deleted!"

George blanched as Anna glared fiercely at him. He took a step back, stunned, especially as she planted her hands on her hips and continued to scowl at him.

A wailing siren filled the aired. The ambulance had arrived and a pair of medics came out of the back, carrying a stretcher. "Where is the injured program?" one of them asked.

Anna turned to glare at them. "There is no injured program here. And you want to know why?" She stamped over to them and squatted down to their level. "Because you are too late!" she barked in their faces. "She is already deleted!"

Both of the medics trembled and dropped the stretcher.

"Anna."

Another figure had approached, largely unnoticed due to the Guardian's emotional outburst. It was a gold-skinned female sprite with short white hair and gentle, motherly features.

Anna recognized the voice, though she did not look up. She continued to glare at the medics for a long moment until finally she stood.

"That is no way to speak to them, Anna," the motherly figure said again. "I know you are in pain, but they came here to help."

Anna's shoulders slumped and she hung her head. "I'm sorry, everyone," she finally said in a quiet voice.

"Please," the gold-skinned sprite placed gentle hands on Anna's shoulders. "Come with me, back to the Principal's Office."

Anna's muscles went rigid, but she relented. "Alright, Zettabyte. I'll go." She sighed. "There's nothing more I can do here anyway."

Zettabyte, the Command Dot Com, nodded. "George, are you alright?" she asked, glancing at the other sprite. "Would you like to come with us?"

"I guess," he replied.

"My car is this way," Zettabyte said, urging them forward. "Let us go."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I want to know exactly how this Virus got into the System," Anna Code demanded in a tone of authority.

Zettabyte observed the young Guardian from the other end of the control room within the Principal Office. In a way, the gold-skinned Command Dot Com was impressed and proud of how much Anna had grown and how seriously she took her newfound responsibilities.

On the other hand, however, Zettabyte sensed a bitterness and dark resentment below the surface of Anna's business-like demeanor, which overlay an unresolved fury underneath.

Zettabyte had always looked after Anna Code and her sister, Kat, after their parents were nullified and their home sector was decimated. Anna's parents had worked long hours in the Principal Office and helped regulate the System. She allowed both of the girls to stay in spare rooms at the Principal Office, where they could sleep and do their homework.

When Anna was just a bit older, Zettabyte had endorsed the girl's desire to become a Guardian, especially since Anna never showed as much passion for anything else. Zettabyte had personally accompanied Anna to the Supercomputer to speak to the Heads of the Guardian Academy, eventually Turbo himself.

After speaking with Anna at great length, the Guardians agreed to create a unique Guardian Code to copy into Anna's icon, integrating it into her own personal coding. From there she had been enrolled into the Academy for training.

Now she stood in the center of the Principal Office as a full Guardian and a young woman, even if she was barely more than a teenager. Obviously she took her role very seriously, especially now in light of what happened to Kat. Anna blamed herself for her failure to save her sister, and she wanted to make sure it never happened again.

However, Zettabyte eyed the young woman with concern. When Anna was a young sprite she at least had Kat and her best friend George, though it had always seemed that she never dealt with her grief or anger. She simply sought out distractions and kept herself occupied. Zettabyte supposed that she had hoped Anna would find a way to deal with her losses and the way it effected her as she attended the Academy, but perhaps she had only used that as yet another diversion from her emotions.

Anna had never been good at moderating her feelings or dealing with things that hurt her or made her angry. Perhaps she had believed that her training at the Academy, along with her Guardian coding, would empower her to the point where she would never be hurt again. It was possible she even believed she could prevent anything from hurting her again.

Zettabyte frowned as she watched the Guardian speak with several of the binomes and sprites who worked within the control room. Anna was almost reaching the point of being obsessive in trying to find out how the virus had gotten into the system.

"Anna," the Command Dot Com finally spoke up, "I believe the reports show exactly how this happened. The virus was downloaded into the system by mistake, most likely because the User mistook it for a vital Upgrade."

"Which means this is the User's fault!" Anna snapped, snatching a datapad out of a sprite's hand.

Zettabyte blinked. So that was it. The young Guardian was trying to find someone to blame. "Yes, my child," she acknowledged with a nod. "Although the Virus was also responsible for its own actions."

"Spam straight it was," Anna cursed as she thrust the datapad on the table. "But the User is responsible for many terrible things that have happened in this system. Nullified sectors, downloading viruses, and let's not forget the incident with the Spyware and the Trojan many hours ago!"

"Those things can happen in any System, Anna. Many of these programs have malicious intent, and some of them enter the System without the User ever knowing about them."

"Oh, I knew you'd side with the User. You always do!"

Zettabyte sighed. "Anna, Dear," she said gently, "I am not siding with anyone. I'm just trying to point out, as always, that we do not know much about the User."

"We've seen enough evidence to know that the User is more dangerous than any malicious program." Anna stepped forward until she and Zettabyte were face-to-face.  
"Where do you think Viruses, Spyware, Trojans, and everything else come from? A User made them."

"A User also made our ancestors," Zettabyte pointed out calmly. "If it were not for them…"

Anna rolled her eyes. "That's very sadistic of the User, then. To make us just so it can destroy us and make our lives miserable."

Zettabyte brushed her fingers against her temple, feeling the beginnings of a processor ache coming on. "I see you have become more entrenched in your views on this manner, my child. When you were younger, you at least listened to other points of view."

"I was a kid back then," Anna stated firmly. "I didn't know as much as I do now."

Zettabyte frowned. "Do you really know more?" she asked gently. "Or are you simply that sure of yourself?"

"I've seen captured viruses in the Supercomputer and I've executed a few of them myself," Anna said, jabbing a thumb at her chest in an almost boastful manner. "I've trained in Game simulations and I was taken into real Games. I've seen what Users are capable of doing to us."

"Very well," Zettabyte sighed. There was no point in further debate on the matter, obviously; it would get them nowhere. "You have stated your case, and I can understand why you feel the way you do. But…"

"You think I'm wrong, don't you?" Anna's eyes narrowed into slits, daring the Command Dot Com to say that.

"I was merely going to say that I feel you owe someone an apology."

Anna's expression changed abruptly into one of surprise.

"Yes, George," Zettabyte nodded. "He feels badly enough about what happened to Kat, and now he thinks you blame him for it."

The young Guardian's expression softened a little. "I…" She ran a hand through her hair, letting out a breath. "I should go talk to him."

"I agree, my child."

"Wish you'd stop calling me that," Anna grumbled as she headed toward the door. She paused just long enough to bark another order at the other sprites and binomes. "I want all of you to continue investigating. Let me know if you find out more."

Then Anna looked directly at Zettabyte. "Where is George?" she asked in a gentler tone.

"He is in Kat's room."

Anna blinked, but said nothing. She quietly walked out of the control room, vaguely hearing the hiss of the door as it shut behind her.

Upon her third step, she broke into a run toward Kat's room.


	8. Chapter 8

George didn't look up even when he heard the door open. He simply kept staring at the desk where a family portrait rested.

"Hey," Anna greeted as the door shut behind her. She took a quick glance around her sister's room, feeling a fresh sting of grief and remorse swell up in her chest. Kat had always had eloquent taste when it came to decorating the walls and ceiling in her room; even now they had artistic color patterns and designs that defied description. The very room seemed to reflect Kat's soul to a tee, a mixture of a fun-filled spirit along with barely containable energy.

There wasn't much in the way of furniture within the room, however. Simply the desk along with the bunk. Anna stepped up beside George to peer at whatever he was staring at. When her eyes locked onto the family portrait, her felt her throat constrict.

It was a beautiful family picture, with her parents smiling. Just in front of them,

Kat and Anna stood as young sprites, grinning with youthful enthusiasm. That picture had been taken back in the days when things were normal… when they were a complete family.

Anna turned away as she felt the corners of her eyelids grow moist. She blinked rapidly and bit down on her lower lip, refusing to cry. That would serve no purpose here. She had to be strong, for the sake of her friends and the system she had sworn to protect.

"Hi, Anna," George finally said after a few nanos. He stared at the picture a moment longer, then finally tore his gaze away. He looked as though he had been crying, at least a little.

"You okay?" Anna asked, not quite meeting his eyes. She was afraid that if she looked at him directly, or looked at that picture again, she would start to tear up again herself.

"I should be asking you that." George turned to face her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I don't know. Maybe I should have tried harder to stop her…" His voice cracked with emotion.

Anna shook her head quickly. "No, George," she replied firmly. "Don't say that. Don't even think it. We both know it was the virus, and just some… dumb luck." Her hands clenched into fists. "Just like how Mom and Dad happened to get stuck in that Game that… n-nullified them."

George closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "So… you don't hate me for what happened?"

"I hate the virus for what he did to Kat," Anna said. The fire in her eyes had cooled into carefully controlled ice. There was no passion in her voice now, but there was also no warmth. "And I hate the User for letting all of this happen to us."

A silence fell between them. George had no idea what to say, nor could he find the words. His eyes strayed toward the family picture again, and then he looked wistful. "Kat was so jealous when you left for the Academy," he whispered.

Anna blinked. "What?"

"Yeah, she was," George nodded. "She talked about you all the time, and I think… in a way, she wanted to be just like you. But…" His voice caught in his throat; he cleared it.

"But what?"

"She felt she never could be."

Anna opened her mouth, then closed it. Both of them knew that Kat had always been energetic, but in the way that a dreamer and an artist was. Some might even go so far as to say that Kat was insane if she got into one of her odd moods, especially if they did not know her well. Yet those were the times when she had her greatest strokes of brilliance in her art or writing, in her own eccentric and starry-eyed way.

Kat would never have had the patience or the mental fortitude to make it as a Guardian; not many sprites did. Anna had the focus to train hard and learn to handle Games as well as basic threats within a System.

But have I truly learned enough? The failure to save her sister still stung in her heart, especially since Anna herself had nearly been deleted in the process. Some Guardian I am. I only managed to take down that Shovelware because Kat distracted it.

Anna closed her eyes and made a silent vow. From this point on I will do better. Kat's sacrifice will not be in vain.

"Anna… are you alright?" George gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I'm…" Anna licked her lips, her eyes darting around the room briefly. "I want to leave this room. It…" Her voice lowered into a barely audible whisper. "It hurts too much to be in here." Some of the ice in her eyes thawed, revealing a trace of the pain she felt underneath.

"Come on, we can go for a walk," George urged her, already moving toward the door. He gently took her hand in his. "I think it would be good for both us to clear our processors."

Anna walked along beside him as they left Kat's room and headed down the hall. She gave his hand a squeeze as she stared straight ahead, moving forward as if through a fog. The only things she heard as they continued to walk were their footsteps, her own breath, and the soft throbbing of her energy pulse within her.

Time seemed to pass rapidly within System Watson Codec. Zettabyte began to monitor a few subtle changes made within the System's registry, making a mental note that the User seemed to be doing… something. What that something was she couldn't be sure, but something in her gut told her that a change was coming.

She simply wouldn't realize how big that change would be until much later.

In the meantime, George Mount began working at a permanent position within the Principal Office, assisting the Command Dot Com and, occasionally, other sprites and binomes who worked there. George appreciated the job because it enabled him to continuing staying in his old room at the Principal Office and be closer to Zettabyte, whom he and Anna both looked up to as a motherly figure.

George wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was grateful for the long seconds of work to keep his attention occupied. Those seconds eventually became minutes, and it was after the third minute of hard work that Zettabyte finally took him aside to speak to him in private.

"What's wrong?" George asked, puzzled. Everyone else had gone to their own homes or retired to their own rooms, leaving him and Zettabyte alone in the control room.

"I am worried about you, my son," Zettabyte said with concern. Even if George was not of her own bits and bytes, she still referred to him (and Anna) as her children. "You spend so much time obsessing over your work and not enough time to yourself."

"I don't need much time to myself," George stated, a bit stiffly.

"I just don't want you to become like Anna. She has been working herself raw and barely gets any sleep."

"I'm sleeping just fine."

"But there is more to life than work. You should take next second off, to enjoy yourself."

George sighed. "I don't know," he said hesitantly. "There's still a lot of work that needs to be done here."

"I can handle it on my own," Zettabyte insisted. "Besides, in case you have forgotten, you aren't the only one who works here." Her golden features softened into a smile. "I can get by without you for one second. Take some time off, please."

"I…" George swallowed. "I don't know if I can. Or if I want to."

Zettabyte studied him for a long moment, peering into his eyes with such an intensity that he fidgeted and looked away. "You are afraid that if you slow down, your grief will overcome you," she finally commented. It was a statement, not a question.

George looked at the ground and scuffed his shoe. "I…" For a moment it seemed that he might deny it, but he knew there was no fooling her. He sighed and decided to simply own up to it. "I can't get what happened out of my head," he said softly without looking at her. "I can't even walk by Kat's room without thinking about it. She was so brave, just like Anna, and… I didn't do anything. I just stood there and watched while she ran forward, even when Anna was in danger."

"There was nothing you could have done," Zettabyte said. "Kat was foolish for putting herself into danger. She should have let the Guardian handle it; Anna knew what she was doing."

"I can't help but feel I should have done something," George insisted, his brow furrowing. "This is why I have to work. I have to keep doing things with my hands and I need to keep my mind busy. I just…" He sighed and hung his head. "I need to keep moving. I just gotta keep myself going."

"Even the program with the highest energy levels will run down eventually if he does not rest and rejuvenate," Zettabyte cautioned. "You cannot change what happened, you must accept it and move on without burning yourself out."

"I don't know how."

"Then help someone else who is doing the same thing," Zettabyte suggested. "Convince Anna to slow down, or at least take a break from her duties next second. Spend some time with her, it would be good for both of you."

"I don't know… we haven't really talked or anything since the second Kat was deleted."

"Then you are overdue." Zettabyte gave him a knowing look. "I know that, in your heart, you have longed to go to her anyway. Your guilt keeps getting in the way, however; guilt that is not justified."

"I… alright," George finally agreed. "I'll see if I can get her to do something with me next second."

Zettabyte nodded with approval. "Very good." She wrapped her arms around him in a motherly embrace, giving him a squeeze before releasing him.

"For now… I'm going to bed," George said, stifling a yawn.

"George," Zettabyte spoke up, making him pause. "If it is too painful for you to walk by Kat's room every night, I could assign you different quarters."

George considered it for a long moment, then shook his head. "Thank you, Zettabyte, but no. I'll be alright." With that he left the control room as Zettabyte watched him go in silence.

0o0o0o0o0

Early the next second, George realized that finding Guardian Anna Code was a bit more difficult than he thought it would be. He knew that she had moved out of the Principal Office last minute, but he had no idea where. He had a rough idea what she did most of the day and what her routine was, but he basically had to catch her on the fly.

Literally.

He ended up encountering her in mid-air as he rode a Zip Board in search for her. She was on a zip board herself, appearing quite busy and heavily pre-occupied with something. She nearly ran into him when he appeared right in front of her.

"George," Anna said sharply, more startled than upset. "What in the Net are you doing?"

"Well," George said with a half-smile, "I'm here to invite you to spend the second with me."

"I'm very busy working right now. Thought you were, too." Anna began to move past him, but George grabbed her arm. She stopped and stiffened her legs, digging her feet into the zip board to keep from being pulled off.

"Nope, you've got the second off," George told her firmly. "The Command Dot Com herself said so."

Anna glared at him. "Oh, is that so?"

"Zettabyte feels we've both been working too hard, and we could use some time off." George maneuvered himself closer, releasing her arm and slipping his own arm around her waist. "I just figured we could spend it together… if you want to."

She was silent for a long moment, as though processing this. "It's a sweet offer, but I'd rather keep working." She grabbed his wrist in an iron grasp and removed his arm from her bitmap.

George stared at her, stunned. "Well I just thought you could use some down time," he said, rubbing his sore wrist. "I will say one thing, you've got quite a grip."

"At the Academy you build up your muscles, or get nullified in Games or beaten down in the training simulations." Anna flexed her fingers, then smirked in spite of herself. "Sorry if I hurt you, man."

"Ha!" George grinned. "I think I'd like to arm-wrestle with you sometime."

Anna grinned in return, but then her expression turned serious again. "Look," she sighed, "if you want some time off, then go enjoy your free time somewhere else. Like I said, I'd rather keep working."

"Anna, come on," George insisted, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I haven't seen you for so long and I've missed you. Won't you at least have breakfast with me?"

"I already ate."

"Then we could go for a walk in the park, or fly around the city on our Zip Boards."

"No."

George permitted a wounded expression to cross his face. "So you don't want to be with me? The least you can do is say so."

Anna closed her eyes briefly. "I just need to stay busy, George. Please understand."

"At least tell me why you moved out of the Principal Office."

"I wanted my own place."

"No, I think there's more to it than that, Anna. Did you want to get away from me, maybe even Zettabyte? Or was it too painful to be in your own old room, especially since it's right next to Kat's?"

"I don't want to talk about this, George."

"I'm right, aren't I?" George gave her shoulders a squeeze. "Honey, you're doing the same thing I've been doing. You're trying to bury yourself in your work to forget the pain."

"Are you saying our work isn't important? Welcome to life as an adult sprite, George. We have responsibilities now and we can't always stop to smell the daisy wheels."

"That's what I've been telling myself. But if we keep this up, we'll run down and possibly degrade or fragment. We've got to take a break once in a while."

"I just…" Anna's hands clenched into fists at her sides. "I don't want to," she snapped.

"At least now you're being honest." George frowned as he looked at her. "You don't want to have fun because of Kat. Am I right?"

Anna flexed her shoulders violently. She escaped from his touch and moved backward on her Zip Board, just out of his reach. "I'm done talking about this," she hissed. Anger filled her eyes as she scowled at him, practically baring her teeth. "Maybe you should go out with the guys or something, grab some drinks and get high on temporary errors. You want fun? Go find some on your own."

She began to fly away but George moved swiftly, sweeping her off of her feet and off of her Zip Board. "HEY!" she yelled as he took her securely into his arms, bridal style. She glanced toward the ground, witnessing her Zip Board spinning and careening into a rooftop below, bouncing and clattering as it impacted.

"You've got to stop running away from your feelings," George told her firmly. "You're even running away from the people who care about you."

"I'm dealing with my feelings just fine."

"By not dealing with them?" George shook his head. "I'm trying to help you, but you have to let me help you. If you keep going like this you're either going to burn out or you're going to fragment to pieces."

For a long moment Anna was silent. It seemed as though she wanted to demand he put her down. She even eyed her Keytool for a nano, which could easily use to get away. Instead she lowered her arm and her rigid form went limp in George's arms. "Well," she said as her face softened, "it would seem you have me at a disadvantage."

George smirked. "Don't I though?"

"Admit it, you're enjoying it."

"Aren't you?"

Anna draped her arms around his neck and shoulders, bringing her face closer to his. "I can think of worse positions to be in." She narrowed her eyes as she saw the mischievous expression cross his features. "Don't even say it, you dirty sprite."

"I wasn't going to say anything."

"Oh ho, but I know what you were thinking."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know you." Anna brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face, tucking it behind his left ear. "It's been a long time since we've seen each other, but you haven't changed that much. I've had you pegged since you were one-one."

"Oh yeah?"

"George, you're an open book. That's one of the things I've always loved about you."

George was taken aback. His eyes went wide. "What did you say?"

"I said you're an open book, and I've always liked that about you."

"No, no," George shook his head. "You said you loved that about me."

"…I did not."

"Oh yes you did."

"Why would I say 'love'? That implies…"

"That you might have deeper feelings for me." George flew his Zip Board toward the ground, setting foot on the sidewalk in the middle of the city. He set Anna down and gestured toward a bench, taking a seat himself.

Anna stubbornly remained standing, folding her arms across her chest.

George shrugged, leaned back and tucked his left leg over his right leg, tucking his ankle just behind his knee. "I know what I heard," he told her with a grin, tapping his ear.

The Guardian rolled her eyes.

George stared at her. Several nanos ticked by and his grin slowly faded.

Anna glared at him, and their eyes met. They stared at each other without blinking as time itself seemed to stand still. Neither of them said a word, nor did they need to.

George coughed and cleared his throat, finally breaking eye contact. He glanced toward the ground as he tugged at his shirt collar. A strange feeling had washed through him. He didn't feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, simply… awkward. If this was going to go anywhere one of them had to make the first move, and it wasn't going to be him. What if he'd been wrong? Or what if she didn't want it? Perhaps she would want to back out even if she did want it; he would leave the choice up to her.

"George…" He looked up to see her looking away from him. "I just don't know."

George let out a breath and gave a little nod. "It's okay," he said. "I'm not trying to pressure you or anything. Just… forget I said anything." He gestured at the bench, indicating the space beside him. "Come on, won't you at least sit down for a few nanos?"

Anna did sit, but not beside him where he expected. He started with surprise as she sat down in his lap and draped an arm across his shoulders. "You know something?" She tilted her head to one side. "I've never been the starry-eyed love bird like… Kat was." She choked out her sister's name, cleared her throat, and continued evenly. "I don't believe in those love-at-first-sight things, or those happily-ever-after tales. That's the kind of thing dreamy young schoolgirl sprites believe in."

"What are you saying?" George wanted to know.

"Just that… when I really, really think about it, I don't think I could ever tolerate anyone else." Anna rested her hand against the back of his neck; a tremor raced up and down his bitmap in response to her touch. "And… I'm not sure if anybody else could put up with me. I know I'm not the easiest sprite to get along with," she allowed.

"Then you do want to be more than friends."

In reply, Anna leaned in suddenly and pressed her mouth firmly against his. Their lips locked together as a different kind of fire filled her and ensnared George along with it. But this fire wasn't anger, it was passion; a desire to be with him.

It was impossible to tell who finally broke the kiss, but it left both George panting for breath.

Anna stood and extended her hand to him. "Come on," she said. "Let's go for a walk, and… talk."

George put his hand into hers and rose. The pair then proceeded to walk side by side down the sidewalk as only lovers could, with no real destination in mind.


	9. Chapter 9

Over the next several minutes, Zettabyte observed the blooming relationship between Anna and George from a distance. She gave the best motherly advice she could offer whenever she was asked but, otherwise, she allowed things to proceed naturally. She wasn't the meddling sort anyway, though she also knew that Anna would not be pleased with anyone sticking their nose into her personal business.

The Command Dot Com was delighted that the two of them seemed very happy together. There was a spark between them that gave George a cheerful edge that Zettabyte hadn't seen in the young man since Kat died. Even Anna seemed to be more even-tempered, taking time from her duties to be with her best friend.

They were a good balance for each other. It was almost as though the User itself had made them to be together. Not that Zettabyte would ever say that aloud; the very notion would no doubt offend Anna, considering how she felt about the User.

It wasn't long before George and Anna agreed to be married. There was no way to know which sprite popped the question since they made their decision in private. Zettabyte had a hunch that it had been a mutual decision, though. When it came to moving their relationship forward, it usually took both of them to initiate it. George would hint and tease, then fall back and leave the next move up to Anna. The Guardian would often follow up with her answer in the form of an assertive move.

Zettabyte first learned of their plans to marry when the two sprites entered the control room of the Principal Office, hand in hand. They were both grinning ear to ear as Anna's eyes twinkled while George's eyes practically glowed.

"Hey, Zettabyte," George said with barely contained enthusiasm, "we have something to tell you."

"Oh?" Zettabyte raised an eyebrow, keeping her tone carefully neutral. "What is it?" Several of the sprites and binomes behind her exchanged knowing looks.

George gave Anna's hand a squeeze. "We're getting married," he said. He gave a short, delighted laugh.

A soft cheer and a delighted whistle sounded throughout the control room. The announcement had put everyone in the celebratory mood. Zettabyte's face nearly split open as a broad grin spread across her features. She grabbed both George and Anna in each of her arms, pulling them tightly against herself in a tight embrace.

"I knew it!" Zettabyte all but gushed. The normally reserved Command Dot Com was absolutely thrilled. "I am so happy for both of you!" She backed up a bit, placing a hand on Anna's left shoulder and George's right. "Just look at the two of you! I remember when you were both tiny sprites, and now you're all grown up. Oh, I am so proud of you both!"

"Oh stop it." Anna brushed Zettabyte's hand off her shoulder, but the gesture was more playful than aggravated. "Hey, we've still got a lot of details to work out for the wedding, but um…" She cast George a sideways glance. "We want it to happen as soon as possible."

"Have you picked out your dress yet?" Zettabyte asked, already getting into the spirit of things.

George chuckled. "I'll let you two talk about that," he said. "I've got a few things I need to take care of." He leaned in and gave Anna a peck on the cheek, ignoring the Ooo's and Ahh's that sounded off behind him. "See you later, sweetheart." With that he turned on his heel and walked out.

"Yeah, uh…" Anna scuffed her shoe against the floor. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about, Zettabyte."

"Yes, my Dear?" Zettabyte took the girl's hand and cupped her own hands around it.

Anna's mouth quirked into a half-smile. "Well, I'd be very happy if you could give the bride and groom away. I've already talked about this with George, and he agreed."

"Oh my…" Zettabyte beamed and swept the girl up into her arms, causing Anna to grunt in the bitmap-crushing hug. "I would be very, very honored my child!"

Each system had it's own unique culture and way of doing things, and that included how marriage ceremonies were handled. In System Watson Codec, marriage had one important form of symbolism; the bride-to-be would choose her favorite older relative or a very close, older friend to partake in preparations for the ceremony, and to give the bride and groom to each other. The ritual was held sacred by many, many sprites and binomes throughout the System.

"G-good," Anna wheezed as Zettabyte finally released her. "George and I talked about it, and there isn't anyone else we'd want to fill that role." She smiled.

"Oh my dear Anna! Come with me now, there is so much to do!" Zettabyte took the girl's hand and the two of them headed out of the control room.

Time within Watson Codec seemed to pass rapidly as preparations were made and plans were finalized. It took some time to determine where the wedding ceremony would take place simply because George wanted it outdoors, Anna wanted it indoors.

Zettabyte, as was part of her role as the Ceremony Officiate and Icon Keeper, mediated between them and helped them reach a compromise. The ceremony would be held outside, the reception would be held inside the Principal Office.

There were a few other details that needed to be sorted out, such as the color theme of the decorations and which System Elder would oversee the ceremony. Anna and George finally agreed upon Zettabyte's recommendation, a wizened old sprite with jade skin and blue hair named Trixon Excel. He was the System's oldest and most knowledgeable Justice of the Peace.

Finally the second of the wedding came. The guests, who would also serve as witnesses to the event, stood clumped together in the form of several stationary rings that encircled a platform that had been placed on the grass.

Upon this platform stood Elder Excel on one end with Zettabyte on the other; George and Anna had not yet approached the platform, nor would they until the time is right.

Elder Excel, clad in a long, flowing black robe, raised his hands above his head to silence everyone. He cleared his throat, and then he began to speak. "We are all gathered here together to witness the union between Anna Code and George Mount, a sacred joining that has been passed down from generation to generation." He spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the entire crowd around him, and then he gazed upward into the sky. "All of you will now bear witness to the joining of these two young sprites, as they pledge themselves to each other."

He was silent for a moment, allowing the significance of this occasion to sink in. Then he lowered his arms and nodded at Zettabyte.

The golden-skinned Command Dot Com, clothed in a lovely, form-fitting red dress with a glimmering crystal broach, cleared her throat and raised her right hand, keeping her palm and fingers straight. "I am Zettabyte, and I am the Officiate of this Ceremony," she announced, "and I will now perform my duties as the Icon Bearer."

In a ceremoniously fashion, she slowly moved her arm to hold it out in front of her. "George Mount!" she called. "Come forward."

The crowd parted just enough to let the summoned groom through. He was dressed in a black suit complete with a small, dark blue bow tie secured around his neck. His brown hair had been formatted to look neat and tidy; not a single strand was out of place.

George stepped up onto the platform and, at a gesture from Excel, he knelt down in front of Zettabyte. She held her outstretched hand to him patiently, waiting as the wedding ritual demanded.

"Are you prepared to give your Icon to your trusted Icon Bearer?" Elder Excel asked formally.

"I am," George replied. He them removed his Icon from his bitmap and gently placed it into Zettabyte's palm. She nodded and gently encircled her fingers around it.

"You may rise," Excel stated, folding his hands together in front of him. George nodded and took his place by the Elder's side.

"Anna Code!" Zettabyte called out, summoning the bride. "Come forward."

The crowd parted a bit as the female Guardian approached from the opposite direction and knelt on the platform once she reached it. She wore her official dress uniform, a red outfit with black trim that she hadn't worn since she graduated from the Guardian Academy in the Supercomputer.

Zettabyte held her free hand out toward Anna, once again waiting patiently.

The Elder spoke directly to the young Guardian in the same formal tone as before "Are you prepared to give your Icon to your trusted Icon Bearer?"

"I am," Anna replied. She removed her own Icon from her chest and placed it in Zettabyte's awaiting hand.

"You may rise," the Elder told her with a nod, his face softening into a slight smile.

Anna took up her position by Zettabyte's side. The Command Dot Com held up the icons for everyone to see, turning completely around so that the flat disks could be observed from all directions. "As you can see," Zettabyte said in a loud voice, "I personally hold the icons of the bride and the groom. These icons are everything that they are, from their bitmaps to their PIDs."

At a nod from Elder Excel, Zettabyte lowered her hands. It was time for the most important and symbolic part of the ceremony. "George, Anna," he gestured at both of them, "stand in the center. Face each other."

The bride and groom stood facing each other, just a meter apart. They each stared deeply into each other's eyes for a long moment. George practically gulped.

"Anna Code," Elder Excel commanded, "kneel."

Anna sank to her knees in front of George and bowed her head.

"Anna Code," the Elder said in a stern tone, "your chosen Icon Bearer holds everything that you are in the palm of her hand. Do you wish her to give it to George Mount, to symbolize your love, trust and respect for this sprite?"

"I do," Anna breathed without hesitation. Then, according to tradition, she continued. "Let all who are here bear witness to it as everything I am is given to the man I love and cherish."

"So let it be," Zettabyte said gravely as she gently placed the yellow and black Icon into George's palm. The groom cupped it gently in his hands and held it close to his chest.

"George Mount, you will now kneel," Excel ordered. "Anna, rise."

Anna stood and looked down upon George as he knelt before her, holding her icon against his chest in secure hands. He gazed upon his bride for a long moment, then bowed his head.

"George Mount," Elder Excel stated sternly, "your chosen Icon Bearer holds everything that you are in the palm of her hand. DO you wish her to give it to Anna Code, to symbolize your love, trust and respect for this sprite?"

George opened his hands just enough to peer at the Icon he held. The way he eyed it, with a look so full of affectionate and love, at least a few of the sprites and binomes in the crowd could be heard sniffling and crying softly. "I do," he said. "Let all-" His voice cracked with emotion. He cleared his throat, gave a little chuckle, and tried again. "Let all who are here bear witness to it as everything I am is given to the woman I love and cherish."

"This is so beautiful," someone in the crowd gushed, barely audible.

"Oh she is so lucky," one of the females swooned.

"So let it be," Zettabyte stated, as if unmoved by the whispers and emotionalism from the crowd. Her eyes, however, gave her true feelings away; they were moist as she placed George's Icon into Anna's hand.

Anna inhaled deeply as she accepted the black and white disk, and she hugged it against her chest. "Oh, George," she whispered.

George stood and closed the distance between him and Anna. "I am yours for as long as we both continue processing," he told her.

Anna's eyes shone like sapphires against her lavender skin. "As am I."

Elder Excel once again raised his hands above his head, as if to embrace the sky. "It is done," he said. "You have all witnessed the symbolic exchange of Icons. You have also witnessed Anna Code and George Mount pledge themselves to each other." He lowered his arms. "Anna, George, you may now return each other's Icons and seal your new union with a kiss."

With great care, George pinned Anna's Icon back onto her bitmap, and Anna returned his as well.

Anna let out a startled cry as George swept her off her feet and kissed her. This was met by a burst of cheers, hoots, and thunderous applause.

"You are now husband and wife!" Elder Excel's voice boomed to be heard over the excited crowd.

George and Anna parted their lips just as the gathering began to throw small daisy wheels all around them. George smiled and Anna gave a little wave to the crowd, causing them to become more energetic. Zettabyte stood off to the side, her hands clasped before her as she watched them like a proud mother.

Elder Excel bowed his head toward the newly weds, then stepped off of the platform. The crowd parted just enough for him to depart; his work here was done.

"Come on, my car is waiting," George said, and carried Anna off of the platform. As they headed toward the car, Zettabyte began to usher everyone toward their own vehicles (or urge them to get on their Zip Boards if that's what they brought instead) to head to the reception area at the Principal Office.

0o0o0o0o0

The reception took place in a large hall within the Principal Office where the guests were encouraged to help themselves to the buffet table and take their seats. There were chips, donuts, sandwiches and a few different kinds of meats, salads and fruit trays. There were even a variety of energy shakes and other beverages of varying flavors and intensity.

George and Anna moved onto the dance floor to share the first waltz as slow, romantic music filled the hall. The couple stared deeply into each other's eyes as they rotated in a slow circle. Then the tempo increased rapidly and George acted on impulse, lifting Anna into the air by the waist, earning a startled squeak from her. She looked annoyed, but she didn't protest. The crowd cheered as George twirled around with her once and then set her down.

When the DJ started the next song a few of the guests began to head toward the dance floor as the music began to blare through the speakers. Zettabyte smiled as she observed Anna move away from the dance floor to take her seat while George remained. In truth, the Guardian wasn't much of a dancer nor was she interested in it, but George was a bit more outgoing in that area.

Kat would have loved this, Zettabyte thought with a pang of remorse. Anna's sister would have probably been the most energetic sprite on the dance floor. The young Guardian had served herself a small dish of food and seated herself with a few female sprites she'd gone to school with during her youth. However, Anna didn't seem to converse with them much. She ate her food and nodded politely as their conversation as the others conversed.

George surprised the Command Dot Com by walking up to her table and extended a hand to her. "Would the Icon Bearer honor me with a dance?" He smiled his most charming smile.

Zettabyte chuckled softly. "Wouldn't you rather dance with your wife?"

"She's not in the mood," George replied, a bit wistfully. "And I think you're the one person here with whom I can dance without making her jealous," he winked.

"You're probably right," Zettabyte beamed, taking his hand as she stood. The pair passed by Anna's table on the way to the dance floor; the Guardian smirked at both of them as they walked by.

Zettabyte and George danced with a reserve that mother and son would, not too close yet not too far apart either. It wasn't awkward for either of them, but Zettabyte did pick up on something. "You'd rather be dancing with Anna, wouldn't you?" she whispered into his ear.

George sighed. "Yeah, I guess. But she doesn't want to."

"You could still ask her."

"I don't want to make her uncomfortable."

"It is her wedding. Maybe she'll dance with you after a short rest."

"I don't think she wants to," George replied. "You see… I think she misses Kat and it hurts her too much to dance."

Zettabyte nodded in understanding.

"It's just… Kat was always so full of life and she always dragged Anna onto the dance floor at parties or school dances," George went on, speaking softly as he and Zettabyte encircled each other.

"Well you're pretty energetic too, my son. Perhaps you can convince her."

George gave a dry chuckle. "Maybe, but I'm not Kat. That girl could get Anna to do anything. Me? I don't know."

"You convinced her to marry you."

"Yeah but I had to argue with her just to get her to date me."

"But you still succeeded." Zettabyte gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Nothing will ever replace Kat in her life, but she needs someone to remind her to relax and have a little fun once in a while." She gave him a meaningful look. "I think that is you."

The music began to die down. The next song was going to begin very soon. "Go on," Zettabyte urged. "Ask your wife to dance with you again."

George looked like he was about to protest, but then he smiled. "Yeah, alright," he agreed, and he began to head toward Anna's table. Zettabyte observed them discreetly as she returned to her own seat.

The Command Dot Com could see Anna shaking her head. George extended his hand, gesturing toward the dance floor. Zettabyte could imagine what he might be saying: The next song is about to start, come on!

The female sprites seated on either side of Anna seemed to encourage her to get up and go with him. Anna glanced from side to side, giving each of them annoyed, unhappy looks. Then all of the young women at the table began to urge her to go.

Anna slouched, sitting lower in her chair as if wanting to disappear. She looked up at George with a pitiful expression similar to that of a trapped animal, and then…

He flashed his most charming smile. One of the girls swooned and spoke loudly enough for even Zettabyte to hear, "Anna, Honey! If you won't dance with him then I will!"

George's smile had already begun to thaw Anna's icy reserve, but that comment removed any lingering stubbornness. The Guardian gave the girl a very light slap on the shoulder and stood, grabbing George possessively by the arm. "I will have this dance," Anna announced firmly, glaring at all of the girls at the table.

The bronze-haired girl who'd offered to dance with George somehow managed to look put out and amused at the same time. The other girls giggled.

"Good," George said, "because you're the only pretty girl I want to dance with anyway." He gave her a quick peck on the lips.

The girls at the table gave delighted cheers in unison; the bronze-haired sprite pressed the back of her hand against her forehead in an overdramatic swoon as her chair tipped backward. Her chair went back a little too far and she fell out of it.

Anna snorted. "That's what you get, drama queen," she muttered as she and George walked hand-in-hand toward the dance floor.

Zettabyte would have watched them share their next dance together if a small binome hadn't tapped her arm, getting her attention.

"I'm very sorry to disturb you, Ma'am," the binome said in a business-like manner, "but there's something going on. We need you in the control room."

"Is it urgent, Root?" Zettabyte asked, not unkindly.

"Well… there is something we really think you should see," Kit replied.

Zettabyte sighed. "Then I suppose duty calls," she said reluctantly. At least she got to be present for the actual wedding ceremony; she could return to the reception if this matter got resolved quickly. "Let us go."


	10. Chapter 10

When the Command Dot Com arrived in the control room she was greeted by one of the other sprites. "Commander," the blue-haired man addressed her, "there's something odd happening in the system."

"What is it, Macro?" Zettabyte asked as she gazed up at the screen above their heads.

"Bring up the scan from the Energy Sea, outside the city," Macro instructed one of the binomes. A moment later an image appeared on the screen.

Zettabyte's eyes widened. "What in the Net is that?"

"That's what we're attempting to determine, Ma'am," Macro answered. "It appears that the User has attached a new piece of hardware to the System."

Zettabyte leaned forward as she squinted at the image on the screen, tapping her chin thoughtfully. It appeared to be drawing a minimal amount of power but otherwise it was mostly dormant.

"Bring up the schematics," she ordered. "I wish to know exactly what this hardware is and what it's purpose is."

Over the next few cycles Zettabyte and the rest of her staff poured over the available data. It seemed that the new hardware had the potential for drawing a significant amount of power, far more than any piece of hardware needed simply to power up or function. There was also a sizeable memory storage space within the hardware, obviously intended to store information.

It was soon after this discovery that new data had begun to pour in; apparently the User was installing a new, sophisticated piece of software. As the installation process proceeded, new data began to pour in. Zettabyte had several binomes monitor the progress as she took it upon herself to sort through a portion of the new data.

What she found made her eyes go absolutely wide; she even gasped sharply. Several heads turned in her direction.

"Commander, what is it?" Macro asked. "Are you all right?"

Under normal conditions, Zettabyte would have nodded and given her best reassuring, motherly smile. Instead, she simply stared at the ReadMe filing she had been reading with an expression of surprise and horror.

"Ma'am?" Macro frowned in concern. He walked up behind her and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. "Commander? You okay?"

Zettabyte stirred, closing her eyes and shaking her head as if to clear it. "I… I'm not sure," she breathed. She looked and sounded like she was in shock.

The Command Dot Com did not return to the reception; she ended up spending the rest of the night cycle observing the fresh data files that flowed in. The more she saw and the more she read, the less she could doubt the evidence displayed before her eyes.

And yet she found herself continually staring and shaking her head in sheer disbelief. How could any of this be possible? It should have been impossible…

She finally left the control room at Macro's insistence when she felt as though she might fall asleep in the control center. Her vision had begun to blur anyway, a sure-fire sign that she needed to get some rest. She retired in her quarters and, just before she drifted off to sleep, she thought briefly of George and Anna. She hoped that the two of them would have a good night of wedded bliss before she dumped the stunning news onto them.

Early the next cycle, Zettabyte awoke not long after her usual wake up time. She ate a quick breakfast and took a cup of cocoa with her into the control room. She was mildly surprised to find George already there.

"Good morning, George," she greeted the younger sprite with a slight smile. "Here I thought you'd be enjoying a nice morning with your new wife."

"Oh," George glanced up, looking somewhat sheepish, "well, Anna went out on her usual rounds and I wanted to catch up on some things here." He cocked his head to one side, casting a meaningful glance at Zettabyte. "It looks as though I missed on something major last second," he said thoughtfully.

Zettabyte nodded. "How much have you heard or read?" she asked.

"Macro filled me in a bit, and I've been pouring over a few of the Read Me files and the System Logs," George replied, shaking his head. "Honestly, Zettabyte… I don't believe what I'm seeing."

"Yet it exists," Zettabyte pointed out. "There is no point in denying it."

George sighed heavily. "If this is true… Anna is not going to like it in the slightest."

"She is the Guardian of our system. I think, the sooner we inform her, the better," Zettabyte said in a serious tone.

"Alright…" George straightened and glanced around the room.

"What are you looking for?" Zettabyte asked.

"Just making sure there aren't any breakable objects in here," George muttered. "For that matter, we should also check for loose objects."

"Do not worry, I am sure Anna has more self-control than that," Zettabyte told him. "Please, go find her and bring her here. Just… do not tell her about this until she is here."

"Okay." With that, George walked out.

Surprisingly, it wasn't long at all before he returned with Anna. Apparently she had noticed the presence of the new hardware attached the System and she'd been on her way to the control room anyway to see what it was all about. Zettabyte glanced behind her as the door hissed open and Anna stepped in, closely followed by George.

"So, what did you find?" Anna asked, a single eyebrow raised in curiosity. Her eyes seemed to always carry a distant anger even when she smiled or showed no emotion at all; it was as if those beautiful eyes held a distant storm that could erupt if the right trigger appeared to fire the ammunition.

Zettabyte swallowed. When the young Guardian's husband opened his mouth to speak, she knew that he was about to provide the trigger for that ammunition.

"Well," George began as he set a datapad down on the command center, "I've been doing a lot of studying on the newest hardware device, and…" He sucked in a deep breath, as if anticipating a strong reaction. His short brown hair was styled in a curly fashion around his scalp like usual, and his bronze-colored eyes held a look of… astonishment. Fear, even.

Anna frowned. "Then what does it do?" she demanded.

"I think you should see this for yourself." George plugged the datapad into a port within the command center, dumping the data he'd gathered. Once the data was transferring he touched a few keys, bringing up a simulation of the new Hardware Device to hover above the platform in the middle of the room in the form of a 3D hologram.

"Watch," George whispered, and everyone did.

"I don't get it," Anna said when the simulation finished, touching her angular chin as she narrowed her eyes. "What is that, and what did it just do?"

"Read this," George told her, and he handed a copy of a ReadMe file to Anna, who accepted it and read it in silence.

"What the fragging Net is this?" Anna finally exclaimed, her long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings as she blinked rapidly. Her processor seemed to screech to a halt as conflicting emotions began to clash within her and as new, unbelievable data flowed within her synapses, demanding to be accepted as fact.

Zettabyte breathed deeply. "It is… truly fascinating, if terrifying at the same time," she said very slowly.

"Is this really true?" Anna finally tore her eyes away from the datapad, looking from Zettabyte to George.

"As far as we can tell… it's true," George said, almost nervously. He seemed scarcely able to believe it himself.

The sound of something clattering on the floor caused Zettabyte and George to look at Anna. What George saw made him take a step toward his wife, extending his arms to take Anna into his arms.

However Anna backed away, shaking her head as she stared down at the datapad she'd just dropped. She moved just beyond George's reach, causing her husband to stop and stare at her with concern. "Anna, are you all right, Hon?" he asked.

Every muscle in the Guardian's body had gone rigid. Her face had contorted into something that resembled anguish and her eyes had become like fire. Anna clenched her hands into fists at her sides and her entire form began to tremble.

"Anna, my dear, are you alright?" Zettabyte tossed a datapad she'd been examining onto the command console, momentarily forgetting the data as she regarded the young Guardian with motherly concern. "Anna," she said gently, reaching to touch Anna's shoulder.

Anna took another step back, holding her arms up in front of her. She turned her face away and sucked in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Once she calmed herself, she turned to face her companions and she finally spoke. "I won't let this happen," she hissed in a low, deadly tone. "I will not let a User set foot in my System!"

"Anna," Zettabyte said, "if this data is accurate… we may not have much choice. The hardware is secured, the software is installed, and it seems that once the User completes the initialization process… it will be able to enter our System through some sort of conversion method."

The female Guardian turned away. She began to pace around the circular room, as if too enraged to stand still. "I will not let this happen!" she exclaimed, pearly white teeth flashing and eyes ablaze.

"But Anna, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" George pointed out, rubbing his hands together. He seemed reserved about the entire notion, yet… intrigued. "We could be the first system in the entire Net to meet our User!"

Anna whirled on him and stalked toward him until they were face to face. Her glare bore into his eyes like sharp daggers, causing George to flinch and blink as if his beloved wife had been replaced by an furious stranger.

"I won't allow it!" Anna repeated, as if she would personally strike down anyone who disagreed. "Do you hear me?!" Her voice raised, as if she wanted the entire Net to hear her, possibly even the User beyond it. "I. Will. Not. Allow. It! Or if the User does enter our System, I'll…"

"You will what?" Zettabyte stepped between them, forcefully grabbing Anna by the shoulders. "Attack the User?" The older sprite shook her head, staring into those dark, angry eyes with her own wizened ones. "You listen to me, young Guardian," Zettabyte said, her voice taking on a stern edge, "if the User sets foot within our System, I want to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from him or her. I absolutely forbid you to attack the User, do you understand me?" She gave Anna a little shake. "This is not going to be a Game Cube where you need to defend a sector against the User, we…"

Zettabyte's voice seemed to catch in her throat, as if awed. "We are going to meet our User, and we will be able to converse with our User." Her tone was full of reverence, as if speaking this aloud made it all the more real.

If anything, Anna's features simply became even more enraged. She pushed Zettabyte's hands away and shrugged away from her touch. "You are a fool!" the Guardian snapped. "Don't you remember what the User has done to this system? How many people have been nullified thanks to the games that the User plays?" Her voice shook as a different emotion crept into her tone; pain.

Now George stepped forward, reaching out and taking her hand. "Anna," he said, "I know what happened that day when you lost your home and your parents… and your best friend. I was there, and I helped you when you needed someone to hold you…" He pulled her into a hug. "And when you needed a shoulder to cry on." He stroked her hair, holding her close against him comfortingly.

Anna stiffened, yet she did not pull away. She did not cry either. She had promised herself that she would never cry again, that she would be strong for her system and protect it from any and all threats that came their way. The User was, in a way, the source and cause of all pain and suffering. If the User did indeed come into their system…

"I will do whatever I need to in order to protect my home," she vowed. She did not put her arms around George or return his kind gesture in any way, but she did not attempt to free herself from his embrace either. She simply stood there like a rigid statue as he continued to hold her, attempting to soothe her.

"And you will," George said, stroking her cheek. "You will do what you always do. But… just give the User a chance, okay?"

Anna said absolutely nothing. Eventually she pulled herself out of her husband's arms, and he let her go. "I… need some space," she said, "to think." With that she walked away.

Zettabyte placed a hand on George's shoulder to prevent him from following her. "Let her be," the elder sprite said. "She needs time to process this and come to terms with this news."

George sighed, staring in the direction his wife had gone. "I just hope she's able to deal with this," he said. Many Guardians did not like Users and Anna had plenty of deeply personal reasons to dislike Users especially.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The seconds seemed to pass by almost painfully as the sprites within the Principal's Office awaited the User to complete the initialization process of the conversion hardware device. Zettabyte tried her best to keep everyone in the system informed with relevant data on a need-to-know basis. She also tried her best to keep everyone calm. The Command Dot Com felt that the general population deserved to be kept up-to-date, especially since rumors involving the User were beginning to get out of hand. But she also felt that there was no reason for anyone to panic or jump to conclusions, at least not until the User finally entered the system.

In the meantime, everyone simply went about their daily lives as best they could, even if some sprites and binomes could be seen looking up at the sky as if the Almighty User might suddenly appear out of nowhere any nano.

When the new hardware first appeared within the system, it manifested itself as an enormous object that fluxuated between solid mass and pure energy. As the seconds passed, however, it stabilized and finished forming into its new, natural state. It had compiled into a large tower in the middle of the energy sea, some distance from the main city.

It was a new piece of hardware, yet it was also an independent city with its own power source, RAM and data storage. Careful scans of the tower revealed that it was different from the regular city of Watson Codec, the one where the sprites, binomes, numerals and other programs lived. However, the tower had its own programs and subroutines living within it and scans showed that it was slowly powering up.

Zettabyte deduced that the User would test the device eventually (she had deduced that it was some kind of experimental prototype) or perhaps the User would eventually decide to forego the attempt, possibly even disconnect it. The worst part was that Zettabyte couldn't tell which she would react to more strongly, if the User did come into her system or if it changed its mind and decided to forego the attempt. She felt that if the User didn't come, it would be both a relief and a disappointment after all of this anticipation. Yet if the User did finally come… it would be a terrifying event.

In the meantime, George Mount spent much of his free time (and even time he would normally have spent working) staying with Anna Code. He hoped that she would open up and talk to him about her feelings and whatever was on her mind, but she never said much of anything. In fact, she seemed to keep everyone at a distance, especially anyone who seemed positive or happy about the idea of the User coming.

It was as if the Guardian had put up a wall between herself and everyone else, almost to the point of paranoia. She remained tense and alert, almost flinching at every shadow as if she expected the User to leap out at her at any moment. This emotional distance disappointed George greatly, especially since she'd always been open and honest with him before this.

At one point, he actually had to prevent her from making an attempt to sabotage the software governing the hardware device from a distance; she was going to make the attempt with the aid of her Keytool from the System Core. Anna had almost completely exploded at him in anger, accusing him of trying to "help the User come in and destroy the city" when she walked away in a furious huff. It was at that moment that George was half-tempted to try and sabotage the Device himself, if only it might mean he would get his wife back and see her happy again.

After Anna stormed off in a huff, George ended up going back to the Principal's Office to ask Zettabyte for advice.

"What should I do?" he asked her, throwing his hands into the air as he paced the control room. "She doesn't listen to me, she doesn't talk to me… it's like talking to a stubborn Firewall." He sighed and slumped into a chair. "I feel like I don't know her anymore, Zettabyte," he confided in a pained tone. "She's paranoid. Obsessed. Everything has changed ever since I told her about that conversion hardware, and I just wish I knew what I could do to get her back to her normal self."

Zettabyte's digits finished clacking across the keypad, finishing whatever work she was doing. She then removed her spectacles and turned to face the younger sprite. "I wish I knew what to do as well," she sighed. "I have tried speaking with her, but each time I open a VidWindow to talk to her, she closes it."

She set her glasses down on the console and folded her arms, staring down at the floor thoughtfully. Finally she shook her head and said, "George, I think the best you can do for now is to continue doing what you are already doing. Try to be there for her, keep being her friend… and her husband. You are the only family she has left here." She looked George straight in the eyes. "As you know, she has good reason to blame the User for her personal losses," she pointed out. "At least, she feels she does, inside her heart."

George frowned, his forehead creasing. "I just wish I could get through to her!" He slammed his fist down on the console beside him, jarring an empty cup that sat there. Obviously Zettabyte had indulged in some form of beverage while she'd been working. "I know she misses her family, and I always knew she still felt pain over her losses," George said, "but I thought she had moved past it. She hasn't talked about it much since we were little sprites, and if it ever comes up she usually just shrugs it off like it doesn't affect her anymore."

"I believe that that is simply her way of masking pain that she does not know how to deal with," Zettabyte told him gently. "I have always seen the anger and pain in her eyes, no matter how well she suppresses it. I believe that she has always… required something, someone to blame, and who else is there besides the User? But now that it seems we may meet our User sometime soon…"

"Yeah," George said in a strained voice. "She's driving herself crazy with the thought of meeting the one who hurt her." He sighed. "I just wish… I could help her get past this somehow. She has suffered terrible losses, but she's become so much more in spite of that. She became a full-fledged Guardian, and she's joined with a Keytool! It takes a special kind of person to achieve that."

"Even Guardians can have difficulty in some areas, my friend," Zettabyte said. "Anna may have chosen never to deal with these issues fully… perhaps because she does not know how, or maybe she thought she had already." The elder sprite shrugged her lean shoulders. "It is quite possible that Anna didn't even know this would effect her so strongly, and perhaps she does not know how to deal with her emotions now."

"Then how are we supposed to help her deal with this, if she won't open up to us?" George demanded, sounding frustrated.

"I do not know," Zettabyte answered. Her old eyes mirrored the pain and helplessness that George felt. "I think the best we can do right now is give her time," she said resignedly. "We can only hope that she can come to terms with this somehow, and no matter what else happens…" She gave George a meaningful look. "We must prevent her from doing anything rash if the User comes."

George nodded. He didn't like this one bit, especially since he felt there was more he should be doing. He thought that Anna was his best friend, yet she kept pushing him away. It hurt him very much. But it simply meant that he had to be ready whenever she decided to let him in again.

"I guess I'd better go find her," he said, rising. "If nothing else, I can keep an eye on her." He looked at Zettabyte with a small, sad smile. "Thanks," he said appreciatively.

Zettabyte gave him a light pat on the shoulder. "Go to her," she urged.

George nodded and left.


	11. Chapter 11

"WARNING. INCOMING GAME."

Anna Code's head snapped up, almost startled at the suddenness of the system announcement. There had been no game cubes descending upon the system since her arrival.

Then again, she could recall even from the seconds when she was a young sprite, before she left to attend the Guardian Academy, that game cubes were rather rare in Watson Codec.

"Cursors," she swore. The system had already slowed down somewhat due to the increased processing power and energy that the system core required to keep up with the initialization process of the new hardware. A game cube would slow the system down further and possibly complicate things.

This was just like the User. It couldn't be satisfied with introducing a device that would ruin everyone's lives and possibly throw the Net into chaos. It had to add insult to injury by inputting a game before the new hardware was fully installed and configured.

Well, as the Guardian of System Watson Codec, she would do what she needed to do. She would enter the game and beat the User.

Perhaps it would also give her the opportunity to beat the User avatar to fragments before meeting it in person, if it chose to enter the Net. Then she would have the satisfaction of doing the same to the actual User, in the bitmap.

"Anna!" A voice called out to her as she sped toward the descending purple cube on her zip board. She glanced sharply over her shoulder to see none other than George Mount following after her.

"Go back to the Principal Office, George," she barked as she increased speed. "I've got this."

"Oh no you don't!" George zipped forward after her. "I'm going in with you."

"No. I've got this one covered, George. I don't need any help!" Anna deliberately turned away from him and pressed her lips into a thin line.

"You listen to me, Anna," George retorted firmly as he came up alongside her. "You're not in the best state of mind right now. You need someone with you to serve as backup, if nothing else."

"I am a Guardian. I will handle myself!"

"Too late, we're already here!"

Anna glanced up as they both flew underneath the cube's path. She halted and turned to face her husband, baring her teeth in aggravation. The Guardian briefly considered trying to shove him away or use Cappaten to thrust him out of the game's path.

It was already too late, however. The game cube had already landed.

Everything around them changed. They appeared to be in the middle of a desert with bright, golden-white sand stretching as far as the eye could see in every direction. The sun was almost blindingly bright as it bore down upon the landscape, scorching every inch that wasn't shaded. The seemingly endless sea of sand had various objects and fixtures here and there to break up the monotony and provide shade or resources, such as cacti, large rock formations, and a few roaming game sprites in the form of animals.

"You should have just stayed out!" Anna snapped at her husband, furious. She clenched her fists and turned away from him, bringing her left arm to her face. "Cappaten, game stats." The command came out as a near-snarl.

George folded his arms and frowned at her. "Just what is your problem?" he demanded. "I mean, you've been avoiding me for seconds and now you don't even want my help in this game."

"A Guardian shouldn't need help. Just stay out of my way!" Anna didn't even look at him.

"Even a Guardian could use some backup," George persisted. No matter what she said he wasn't going to let up. He knew by heart that, when it came to his wife, sometimes he needed to be just as stubborn as she was. Otherwise they wouldn't have even started dating.

"That's what Cappaten is for." Anna eyed the Keytool's readout on the game one final time, giving a silent nod to herself. "Just back off, George. I've got this one covered."

"Are you really sure about that?" George stepped up beside her.

Anna started walking determinedly away from him. "Yes."

George followed her. "We'll double our chances if we both play to beat the User."

Now Anna whirled on him, her features darkening. "I will not let you go into this with me. I am not going to lose you like I lost Kat!"

George blinked, his stance going rigid with momentarily shock. Then his stiffness eased as the shock became realization. So that's it, he thought. She wants to handle this herself because she doesn't want anyone else to get hurt.

"Anna," George said gently as he took her hand. Her arm stiffened and she tried to pull it away, but he held firm. "What happened to Kat is not going to happen to me, especially if we both watch each other's backs. Come on, let's be a team in this game."

"George…" Anna sighed. "Some things I just have to do on my own."

"But why? Do you blame yourself for Kat's deletion?"

"No!" Anna tore her hand away from George and turned away. "No," she said a moment later, more softly. "I blame the User. But… it's not just that," she allowed in a low mumble.

"Then what is it?" George wanted to know.

Anna's hands clenched into fists. The muscles in her shoulders tensed, becoming rigid like steel. "I need to prove to this system that I am a capable Guardian," she grated through clenched teeth. "I let my own sister be destroyed by a virus. That is a failure that many people witnessed, and I will always remember it."

She turned to face him again and, this time, there was something different in her eyes. The anger and pain were still heavily written on her features, but now something else was visible as well. Something George couldn't quite identify.

"I need to prove that I can do this," she said.

George swallowed. In a sudden epiphany, he understood what that mysterious look was in her eyes. It was a look he understood all too well. "Anna," he said in a gentle voice, "listen to me. You think you are the only one who's suffering from Kat's deletion? I spent seconds kicking myself for not rushing in to help her. If I could have been taken the blow for her I would have, but I didn't. I stayed back like… a coward." He squeezed his eyes shut and turned away.

Anna was staring at him. "You… did the right thing," she finally begrudged. "Everyone should have stayed back and let me handle it."

George shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "More of us should have been working together. Anna, you're a Guardian and you have a Keytool, but there are some things you can't do even with Cappaten. There are some things that no one should have to face alone, not unless they really have to."

He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Let me help you win this game and we'll both come out of it," he whispered into her ear. It was both a plea and a promise.

Anna slowly melted into his embrace. He squeezed her and she responded by placing a hand on the back of his neck, pulling his face closer to hers. "I suppose… we should get to it, then," she breathed. Then their lips locked together briefly.

"Come on," the Guardian said as she pulled back. "Let's ReBoot and get this show on the road."

George nodded and raised two fingers to his chest as his wife did the same. In unison they said the magic word, "ReBoot!" and tapped their icons.

The brilliant white light engulfed both of them and they were completely reformatted. They had become entities that the game identified as "sand serpents" and they were almost identical except for a difference in color patterns.

Anna turned her alien face to scrutinize George. She knew from a glance at Cappaten's readout of their coding that both she and her husband had been coded with the same format. Therefore she got a pretty good idea what she looked like by visually analyzing him.

What she saw was nothing like the normal, good-looking sprite. In his place lie a long serpent that was covered with dark brown, leathery skin hardened with iridescent black scales. There was a row of fish-like spines that covered the length of his body, though they were the most profound on the back of his head and neck, perhaps the serpent equivalent of stylish hair.

His face was long and narrow, containing a pair of crystal-like red eyes that reflected like fire in the bright sunlight. A small part of Anna's mind wondered if her own blue eyes looked the same way, though she quickly dismissed the thought. She noticed the row of needle-like teeth that extended from George's altered mouth whether he had his maw open or closed.

Anna opened her mouth to speak. The only sound that emitted, however, was a shrill hiss accompanied by the flicker of a long, forked tongue.

'Don't bite me,' came a "voice" that seemed to resonate within her skull.

'George?' Anna took a moment to glance at her Keytool again. Yes, apparently they were telepathic. The game had no doubt coded them this way to make up for the inability to verbalize.

'Yeah it's me, in the… scales.'

'Alright then.' Anna uncurled her coils and drew herself higher to get a look around. 'I've never seen this game before,' she thought, mostly to herself. 'I have played many simulations of games and several real ones during my training. This should not be too difficult.'

'If you say so,' George replied as he slithered up beside her. His body left a trail in the sand behind him as be moved. That meant the game had a highly interactive environment, able to respond to subtle changes or movements. 'Where is the User?'

Anna had already checked it out on the game stats. 'Not far from here,' she replied. Her mouth opened in anticipation, baring her interior row of teeth along with her external. 'It is currently engaged with the game sprites.'

George was eyeing her. His serpent features were rigid and immobile, making it impossible to alter it into any kind of facial expression. His thoughts, however, conveyed what was on his mind. 'Anna, Dear, you're drooling.'

The Guardian closed her mouth as her form stiffened. If she'd had normal eyelids she probably would have blinked.

George dropped his jaw open, the closest thing he could muster to a teasing smile. 'Anticipating the User, are we? Maybe it'll taste good.'

Anna gave him a look. The ice-like crystals on her face that served the purpose of eyes shone with irritation. 'Just shut up and follow me.'

'Whatever you say, Honey.' With that, the two serpents across the sand in the direction of the User.

It wasn't long before they encountered the User avatar. It was a creature apparently known as a "jackelope", basically a large rabbit with horns. It walked upright on two legs and it had a weapon attached to its right arm. It had kind of an ugly face complete with scruffy fur, a couple of scars, a patch over one eye and a cigar hanging out of its mouth.

The User also had on a pair of trousers with a pocket watch in one of its pockets. Every once in a while the rabbit-like creature would pull out the watch and say, "Look at the time! Can't be late! TIME TO DIE!" And then it would open fire upon whatever happened to be in the immediate area, even if that simply meant shooting a stationary cactus to pieces.

'That is one ugly User avatar,' George mused.

Anna looked directly at him, tilting her head to one side as she scrutinized him again. She did not exhibit a straightforward or coherent thought, but her meaning was clear.

'Okay, so I don't look like much right now either,' George thought, once again giving the snake equivalent of a shrug. 'Just remember that we look the same right now.'

'Yeah… noted.'

Both of the sprites returned their attention to the User.

If George didn't know any better, he would have thought the User was bored and just playing around, shooting whatever could be destroyed in this highly interactive environment.

'Be careful,' he cautioned as he and Anna began to slither around a rock formation, using it as cover and shade from the sun. 'It's shooting and everything, even things that don't move.'

'No kidding,' Anna retorted. 'I have eyes, you know. I can see.'

'Hey, I'm just making observations for myself too. It's how I process things.'

'That's the problem with telepathy… all thoughts are shared.'

'At least it helps me get in your head a little better,' George mused thoughtfully.

Anna paused in mid-slither, angling her head to one side. 'What's that supposed to mean? You have a hard time figuring me out?'

'Well… I'm just saying this might make things easier, especially when you stop talking to me.' A small portion of George's form lifted, some of the scales rising and falling. It was the closest thing he could muster to a shrug. 'Sometimes I feel like I have to stumble across whatever you're thinking or feeling.'

Anna's glowing blue eyes dimmed, becoming tinted with a darker emotion. 'George,' she told him, 'there are some things that go on in my mind you do not want to know. Trust me on that.' With that she focused her mind entirely on the task at hand, turning her attention to the User.

George stared after her for a moment as she slithered forward. 'Even when we're both telepaths she finds a way to push me out,' he thought with some bitterness. He sighed, then followed her lead.

Both of them discovered a tactic they could use to get closer to the User without being seen; they could go under the sand. The only thing that could give them away was a slight rippling effect caused by their movements, plus the tips of their spines occasionally poked up through the sand like shark fins protruding from water.

Nevertheless, the User was too busy dealing with a pack of scorpions to notice the serpents approaching. George increased speed and went around to the User's left while Anna slunk around to the right.

The User took notice of the movement to its left, aiming its weapon. Anna released a shrill hiss as well as a mental shout, warning George; he evaded the shot and moved deeper beneath the sand.

Anna took advantage of the User's distraction to come up behind it, springing out of the sand. She used her teeth to latch down on the back of the creature's neck, tasting and smelling pixilated fur and game blood as her forked tongue brushed against it.

The User struggled, firing its weapon in random directions as it tried to shake her off. Her vice-like grip only tightened as she began to encircle its form, coiling her body around it. She pinned its arms against its sides and began to tighten her coils. The User responded by hopping about wildly, attempting to shake off the serpent.

The Guardian's mouth pulled away from the User's flesh as the jackelope smashed both of them against a rock formation. It did minimal damage to Anna due to the protective scales, but it did sting a bit. She maintained a tight grip with her coils, however.

George sprang out of the sand and snaked around the User's ankles, drawing the legs together and causing the creature to fall down. Then he began to squeeze, tightening his own noose.

'Game Over, User,' Anna thought as she coiled the uppermost part of her body around its shoulders, bringing her mouth right up to its throat. Her maw yawned open and the edges of her teeth grazed the fur as she moved into the final position.

Then she bit down. Hard.

The User made a strangled gasp that was quickly followed by a sickening, gurgling sound. Anna then squeezed her coils as tightly as she could in such a violent motion that the creature's body snapped.

The jackelope went limp.

"GAME OVER," the system voice blared.

The game reality vanished as George and Anna returned to their normal sprite selves. Both of them glanced toward the sky as the game cube ascended and disappeared.

"See?" George said. "We did make a good team in there."

"Yeah," Anna allowed. "We did."

The sky returned to its normal color of blue, but then something else happened. The tower flickered in the distance and a flash of light passed over it like a sheen of sunlight reflecting off of glass. For just a moment, the sky turned yellow before turning gold.

Anna and George exchanged glances.

"What do you suppose that means?" George asked, even if he felt he knew the answer.

The tendons in Anna's neck went rigid. "It means," she stated stiffly, "that the new hardware has finished initializing its software." She turned sharply to George. "Get to the Principal Office," she snapped. "I'm going to make sure nothing is happening in the city."

"But Anna-!" George started to protest, but she was already off.


	12. Chapter 12

"Aw, rats," Hannah grumped under her breath as the words "Game Over" appeared on the game window. She wasn't overly bothered by it though. That game didn't have the same appeal as it once did anyway; it seemed rather silly and stupid now.

Just as she clicked out of the game and moved to take the game disk back out, the status bar on the installing program indicated that the initialization process was complete. Something beside the monitor lit up and began to adjust itself. She stared at it; she swore she didn't really notice that thing before, whatever it was. It looked something like the cross-between of a camera and a laser, or something. Was that thingamajig the gizmo that this software controlled?

Another window popped up on the screen, a stage in the final setup process, apparently. It wanted her to type in a unique Username and password for her own personal use, apparently to be stored within the device's own personal memory.

She shrugged one shoulder, deciding that she had come this far… she might as well go the rest of the way and see what the heck this thing did. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. "Hmm," she purred thoughtfully. "What Username should I choose?" She wanted something different, something that sounded a bit more unique than the goofy forum names she usually chose. Stuff like "butterscotch1" or "catfishatemymother" just didn't sound very workable in this case for some reason.

"Hmm," she murmured again. "Omega Glory? Nah… Amanda Firewall? No… Alpha Starwell?"

Somehow that one stuck. "Alpha Starwell," she repeated quietly to herself. "Catchy!" She liked it, at least. She typed that in as her Username, and then she typed in some random letters and numbers for her password. They were the same combination of random garbage that she used frequently as a password for email and forum accounts.

The words "Please Stand By" appeared on the screen. The device on the desk began to glow, and then it brightened.

"Error", the screen flashed, "please move back at least six feet from the conversion device."

Hannah blinked, wondering what that was about. Was this something like a Kinect Sensor on Xbox, where you couldn't stand too close? She began to surmise that this was some kind of camera or something…

No, maybe Uncle Frank was making a version of Kinect for the PC! And she was going to be the first to see it in action. She giggled in delight as she scooped her phone into hand and stood. She moved the computer chair aside, taking a few steps back and looking directly at the device. She continued to grin as the little piece of hardware adjusted itself, and then it seemed to zero in on her.

What happened next was hardly what she expected, though. In fact, what happened next was not something she would have anticipated or guessed in a million years. A bright, white light shot out from the device and seemed to catch her, freezing in place.

She felt absolutely nothing and was aware of nothing as an energy beam began to take her apart bit by bit, converting her into a form of pure energy as it transferred her inside the computer.

0o0o0o0o0o0

The sky above the city within System Watson Codec changed from blue to gold, the same way it would when an update was in progress. In the distance, the Tower seemed to glow with a bluish-white aura.

"ATTENTION," the System Voice announced. "INCOMING ADMINISTRATIVE."

The sky brightened from gold to yellow. If anyone could have seen the interior of the Tower, they would have witnessed the programs and subroutines scurrying about in preparation as their Queen glanced toward the sky in anticipation, her wings shimmering with excitement.

"ATTENTION," the System Voice spoke again, "ADMINISTRATIVE 'ALPHA STARWELL' HAS ENTERED THE SYSTEM." A couple of nanos passed. "ERROR: UNABLE TO COMPLETE CONVERSION PROCESS WITHIN THE CONVERSION HARDWARE. TRANSFERRING ADMINISTRATIVE 'ALPHA STARWELL' TO ANOTHER MEMORY BLOCK."

The Queen blinked at this news, then went to check the hardware specifications. It seemed rather odd that the conversion hardware was pulling a User into the system, yet couldn't bring the entity into the Tower. She quickly theorized there were still a few software glitches to work out and, perhaps, there simply wasn't enough power or memory to complete the task there.

A quick scan of the system from the Tower's control room confirmed that power was being taken from the main city. Not enough to cause the other city to power down, nor was it creating any complications for the other city; the conversion device simply took what it needed to complete its task.

Qsa Linex, the Administrative Program and leader within the conversion device, nearly sighed in aggravation. It would have been more convenient if the User would simply finish converting and compiling into its new format within the Tower. However, she knew that getting irritated about it would not change the fact that the process had not gone as smoothly as she would have preferred.

She drew herself to her full height and opened her beak-like mouth, her mandibles flexing as she released a long, resonating sound that pierced the air throughout the Tower and traveled into high-range frequencies. These programs communicated in their own language, one that was more complicated (and more harmonious) than even the Keytool language.

It was borderline telepathic as well; the Queen had a connection with each and every program and subroutine under her rule. Many of the more basic workers were subroutines who could barely think for themselves; they simply followed orders and were loyal to their Queen. There were guards who had more intelligence and higher thought processing capability, since they were tasked with protecting the Tower, though they had no will or desire to leave the Tower. It simply was not in their programming.

Qsa Linex was therefore the only one who could come and go as she pleased. She had the most flexibility in her programming, as any powerful AI would. Therefore she spoke-or perhaps "sang" might be a more appropriate way to describe the language-a series of resonating tones that were musical, telepathic, verbal, and somehow purely mathematic at the same time.

The Queen was leaving the Tower for a short time, just to seek out the User and bring the entity inside. The subroutines did not acknowledge, though they were aware of the communication and they simply continued their automatic/default or specifically assigned tasks as they had before. They understood that their Queen would not be gone long.

Several of the drones verbally and telepathically acknowledged their leader; a few of them expressed concern. However, they knew that their Queen was powerful and she could look out for herself. She would be back soon anyhow.

Qsa Linex took advantage of her ability to glimpse any portion of the Tower through the eyes of any program or subroutine within, taking heart that everything was functioning within acceptable perimeters. The power core still converted raw energy from the energy sea and powered the Tower, though the power supply that energized the actual conversion process was nearly depleted. That was to be expected, however; it would recharge in its own good time.

The Queen released a final communication throughout the Tower, announcing that she was now departing. Then, in a brilliant flash of light, she teleported herself out of the Tower. She was gone.

0o0o0o0o0

The words of the System Voice caused a system-wide reaction from sprites and binomes alike. It especially caught the attention of Guardian Anna Code, who had been anticipating this moment… both waiting it for to finally happen and wishing it wouldn't happen.

Apparently the User has chosen to enter this system after losing its game, the Guardian thought. How fitting. It will simply lose again!

"Cappaten," Anna immediately snapped at her Keytool, as if she'd mentally rehearsed for this moment a thousand times already, "locate the User who just entered the system."

Anna then threw out a Zip Board, and then she was off.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Moments later Hannah found herself whole again... and in a very different location. She was no longer in her Uncle Frank's office. In fact… she had no idea whatsoever where she was. She blinked several times, unsure what had happened to her. Either she was dreaming or she had been kidnapped by aliens, one or the other.

Not to mention that her entire appearance seemed... different somehow. Her white shirt and blue jeans had changed somewhat, appearing a bit more solid and more textured. Not only that but her skin had changed from Caucasian (with a nice tan) to sort of a light, brownish-olive color.

She stared at her hands for a long moment, turning them to look at her palms and the backs of her hands. Why did she look so strange? For that matter… what did her face look like now? What about her hair? Her eyes widened at that thought and she quickly began to look for a reflective surface.

She came across what appeared to be a nicely polished vehicle. When she gazed into a reflective surface on the shiny metallic surface, she saw that her features were more angular than before. In addition, she found that her dark brown hair had turned black. "Oh my gosh," she murmured, unable to look away from the different face that stared back at her. What in the world had she become?

"This is just too weird," she commented, backing away from the shiny vehicle and shaking her head. She fought the urge to panic. She also fought the urge to run in a random direction. Hannah felt frozen in place, unsure what to do or where to go.

As she glanced down at herself, she suddenly remembered something. Hadn't she been holding her cell phone a moment ago? Maybe she could use it to call someone, or do something. It wasn't in her hand any longer so she must have dropped it somewhere. Cursing under her breath, she retraced her steps to the area she'd first appeared in and looked all around. There was nothing on the ground that resembled her phone.

"Damnit, where is my phone?!" She patted her pants and checked her pockets again. Things like that didn't just disappear, unless someone stole it or something else had happened to it…

A beeping noise caught her attention. She looked at her left arm and let out a little yelp when she noticed something attached to it. "What the hell is that?" she exclaimed, yanking it off like a bug that might bite her. She didn't know what it was or where it came from, but she didn't want it touching her until she was sure that it was safe.

It looked like some kind of… mechanical gizmo. It was kind of rectangular-shaped, having a cylinder rod on one end, a small green circle that glowed on the other end, and a yellow triangle-shaped part in the middle. The body of the device, whatever it was, was colored dark red. It was just large enough to fit in the palm of her hand.

"Weird," she thought, not quite sure what to do with it. "Huh, looks like it's the same color as my phone. But where's my phone?!"

It beeped again. It then flew out of her hand and then hovered above her for a long moment, almost as if it was… looking at her. Perhaps analyzing her or checking her over. She blinked nervously and took a couple of steps back, still quite uncertain of what it was going to do.

After a moment it zipped down and re-attached itself to her left arm, almost like… Velcro, except it felt more like it was clicking itself into place, almost like it was… plugging into her? Okay, that just seemed weird.

"What is this?" she muttered again, staring at it with a creeped out expression. Then she felt something going on inside of her as the little device began to whir and flash, almost like… it was connecting to her mind or something.

Her first impulse was to yank it off and throw it as far as she could, but something stopped her. She wasn't sure what gave her pause, but perhaps it was the simple fact that… somehow this thing had formed a solid connection with her.

Hannah was mystified and horrified, unsure where she was or what was going on, but… the little device had connected with Alpha Starwell, as was its purpose. The human soul that was Hannah still resided within her, as did her personality and memories, everything that made Hannah her own unique being was still present. But she was now something else as well; she was a sprite named Alpha Starwell, and this little thing on her arm had been created by the conversion hardware to assist her, apparently.

It scanned the system, and it provided her with some rudimentary information about life in the Net as if putting some data directly into her brain. She blinked a few times as her mind began to feel numb and confused. It would take her some time to process everything and grow accustomed to her new format and everything that was happening to her, but… obviously she would have some help.

A scream broke into her train of thought, causing her to look for its source. What she saw was an odd little creature who looked like a sphere with arms and legs. Its mouth was agape and its eyes were wide as saucers. It was pointing at her and trembling, as though it was terrified and unable to find its voice.

"What are… who are you?" Hannah/Alpha Starwell asked, blinking at the strange creature. "Can you talk?"

A few more creatures who looked similar were gathering closer now, though not too close. They seemed to be staring at her as if she was simultaneously the most awe-inspiring thing they'd ever seen, and the most terrifying.

Finally, one of them found its voice. "Are you… a User?" it asked, almost reverently.

"Uh…" Starwell began, but she didn't get the chance to finish her sentence.

"Yes, she is!" thundered a deadly feminine voice above their heads. Hannah looked up to see what appeared to be a woman with red hair and lavender skin, wearing a blue outfit of some kind, riding on something she had never seen before. The woman had each of her feet positioned on individual, flat discs, connected by a bent rod. At least that's what it looked like.

"Run for your lives!" the strange woman in the air shouted. "Or she'll nullify you!"

The creatures screamed and began to scatter, running and hiding as if they truly believed it. Starwell stared up at the sprite who hovered in mid-air, not quite sure what to do or say.

The stranger who hovered in the air looked human enough… but why did she have light purple skin?

That question paled in comparison to the more pressing question that burned in the girl's mind. Why was the stranger looking at her with such… venom?

Anna Code narrowed her eyes as she quickly looked over the User-sprite in a sweeping glance. This… was not exactly what she had been expecting. The girl appeared to be the same age that Anna herself was when she began the final (and most rigorous) course of her training at the Academy.

The girl also appeared to be completely out of her element, frightened even. There was nothing overly threatening about her, at least judging from a first impression. Was this truly the almighty User who ruined Anna's life, who damaged her city and nullified so many?

The Guardian held her Keytool at the ready, setting down on the ground and stepping off of her zip board. She eyed the User-Sprite sternly. "Do not move," she snapped, "or I will end you here and now."

The User-sprite gave a frightened squeak, but she did not move.

Anna's eyes narrowed into slits. "Cappaten," she ordered, "containment field." The Keytool on her arm released several bands of energy in the young sprite's direction, preparing to wrap around her slim form and restrain her.

However, a device on the User's own arm responded before the action could be completed. Anna's eyes widened as a glowing energy field formed protectively around the User-sprite, repelling Cappaten's energy rings. Anna was completely taken aback by this, blinking as she lowered her left arm. The User had a Keytool of her own? And it could act without being told a command?

To make it even more puzzling, the User herself seemed astonished at what the Keytool had done. She stared at her arm with uncertainty for a moment, then looked back at Anna.

Anna eyed her own Keytool for a nano, then peered through the energy bubble at the User's Keytool. This strange sprite's Keytool appeared a little different from a Guardian Keytool, but… what else could it be besides a Keytool of some kind?

The User looked frightened. She was also unable to go anywhere for the moment, due to the energy field around her. "I-I don't want any trouble," she stammered. "I don't even know how I got here!"

Anna processed this. Some said that there was more than one User outside the Net… was it possible that this younger girl stumbled into something that her elders were experimenting with? Assuming that Users had different ages much like her own people, that might make more sense. Was it possible that there were different kinds of Users as well, with different formats and functions? That was an intriguing notion that she'd never thought about before… it was worth contemplating because it was important to understand one's enemy.

But now was not the time to contemplate it.

"Look, girl," Anna said darkly, lowering her arm. She then forced what she hoped was a more pleasant expression on her face, even if she didn't feel like being pleasant. "If you truly intend no harm… tell your little friend there to lower the energy field. Then we'll talk."

The User-Sprite looked uncertain. "Can you… help me?" she asked tentatively.

"We will see," Anna said, though her tone made it clear she had no intention of helping. "Your name is…" What had the System Voice said? "It's Starwell, yes?"

The User-sprite blinked. "My name is Hannah Forbes," she said.

The Guardian narrowed her eyes. "It will not be good if you lie to me, little girl," she stated sternly. "Apparently your Username is registered as Alpha Starwell."

The sprite blinked, as if remembering something. "Yeah, I am Alpha Starwell," she said.

"Very good. Now, about this energy shield…?"

Starwell looked at her Keytool. Some kind of silent communication seemed to pass between them, and then the energy field vanished.

Anna then wasted no time dashing forward and grabbing the girl roughly by the arm.

"HEY!" Starwell yelped indignantly. "You said you wouldn't hurt me!"

"Oh, I won't," Anna said. "I just want you to tell me some things."

"You said you'd help me!" Starwell tried to pull free, but Anna's grip remained secure.

"Hey! Anna, hold on a moment!" Both of the female sprites glanced up to see a male sprite coming toward them on a Zip Board.

The Guardian narrowed her eyes, recognizing her husband. Of course he would have to pick this moment to interfere.

"George, I've got this covered," Anna growled in a 'just go away and leave me alone' tone of voice.

George Mount landed his Zip Board and hopped off of it, grabbing his wife's arm. "Anna, you really need to calm down and listen to me," he said. He then cast an uncertain glance toward the User-sprite. "Ah, hello there," he greeted with an uncertain half-smile. He then blinked a few times, as if realizing the significance of this moment. He had just spoken to a real User, for the first time in Net history.

It also seemed rather bizarre in a way, simply because… well, wasn't this the same User they had just encountered in a game?

"Make her let go!" Starwell exclaimed. "She's hurting me!" On her arm, the User Keytool flashed and beeped.

"She has a Keytool?" George blinked. Even though it didn't look exactly like Anna's Keytool, what else could it be?

"Apparently," Anna said, distracted and irritated. "Cappaten," she barked, "scan that Keytool."

Cappaten complied, and then showed the Guardian the results. Apparently what Alpha Starwell had was indeed a kind of Keytool, only it had more coding and more power than any Guardian Keytool. Cappaten, apparently curious and intrigued, began to beep and flash on Anna's arm, attempting to communicate with the alien Keytool.

The one on Starwell's arm responded in kind, apparently deciding to communicate.

After a moment of communication in the odd, mysterious Keytool language, Cappaten informed its Guardian what it could. Anna raised an eyebrow. "So it has the capacity to access User Commands," she commented. In a way she was fortunate that her Keytool had the ability to determine certain things about the User and her alien Keytool. This was largely due to the updated registry within the system, courtesy of the conversion hardware.

She then turned her full attention on the young sprite. "I'm afraid I can't let you roam my city free," the Guardian stated. "You are coming with me, User."

Starwell looked nervously between the two sprites, both of whom appeared older and more capable than her. "I… don't know if I want to go with you," she said nervously.

"Hon, go easy on her," George said. "She looks like she's nothing but a young sprite."

"She is a USER!" Anna snapped, as if that said it all. She then removed a weapon from her belt, something that looked decidedly like a pistol, as if she had been preparing for this moment. "It might even be better to end it now and be safe," she said darkly, cocking the pistol. This would be easy, just like in the game…

Starwell screamed. She then began to run just as a shot was fired.

It only missed because George grabbed his wife's wrist and threw off her aim. The Guardian's face twisted in rage as she whirled on him, slapping his hand away. "What the fragging Net are you DOING?" she yelled.

"I'm trying to stop you from making a terrible mistake!" George snapped. "Just look at yourself! Look at what you're doing!"

"I am doing this to protect my home!"

"Anna, we're not in a game cube right now! You're not protecting your home, you're trying to get revenge by hurting the first User you see!" George grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her pistol from her grasp. "I can't let you do this, you are not yourself," he said.

Anna then did something that completely shocked him. She slugged him squarely in the jaw, with enough force to send his eyes spinning in their sockets and make him feel dizzy. Before he had a chance to respond or recover, she elbowed him solidly in the midsection and then used her hand to chop him between the shoulder blades.

He collapsed on the ground, stunned and temporarily offline.

"I'm sorry," she whispered with some remorse. "But the entire city will thank me for this later." Her head snapped up, looking in the direction that the User had gone. "I have to stop her now."

She then hopped onto her Zip Board and took off after Starwell.


	13. Chapter 13

Hannah took off running, not wanting to take any chances. If she'd had time to think she might have wondered if this was the equivalent of the local law enforcement or if they were spiffed up gang members or something. Whatever was going on the woman didn't seem friendly toward her.

She ran down a street and took a couple of turns, trying to get as much distance between herself and the aggressor as she could. However, the red-haired sprite had one advantage on her side; the ability to fly on that double-disk thing, whatever it was. That meant she could swoop around from above and see where Starwell was going down below her.

Hannah knew she had been found when shots were fired at her. This caused her to scream and run even faster, zigzagging through some mild traffic and bolting behind cover whenever she found something to duck behind. But the flying sprite was relentless, and Hannah found herself unable to stay in one spot for long.

She found herself being chased down several roadways and between a few buildings. She could hear the shouts behind her as several more pursuers joined in; apparently a few of these people, whoever or whatever they were, were intent on catching up with her for some reason. The flying sprite could be heard shouting at some of the other pursuers, telling them that Starwell was dangerous and needed to be captured. This caused some of them to run away while others attempted to subdue her.

A terrible sound filled the air, seemingly out of nowhere; a shadow fell across the ground as something flew overheard, its wings buzzing shrilly. Several heads (including Starwell's) looked up to see something that no-one had ever seen in the system before. The natural light within the System seemed to illuminate the creature's glass-like wings, nearly blinding anyone who tried to look at it. This made it impossible to make out the rest of its form; it appeared like a black silhouette against the bright crystal wings.

Nearby binomes trembled fearfully as the creature swooped down quickly and snatched up the User, grabbing Starwell's shoulders with two hands and wrapping a second pair of arms around the girl's waist. Starwell screamed fearfully as the creature lifted her high off the ground, flying toward the sky.

Then in a sudden, brilliant flash of light, both the mysterious creature and the User-Sprite vanished.

"Cursors!" Anna Code swore when the quarry disappeared. Her arm remained rigid, extended before her as she had been prepared to subdue the creature and the User with her Keytool.

What was that thing anyway? Where had it gone? Why did it take the User?

For a long moment she simply hovered in mid-air, then she gritted her teeth and snapped, "Cappaten, scan for anomalies."

The Keytool beeped and whirred. After some checking and scanning, it seemed that the mysterious program and the User had gone into the memory of the new hardware, the very technology that had brought the User into the Net in the first place.

They had gone to the Tower, the new and independent city that sat in the middle of the energy sea.

Anna narrowed her eyes. Then that's where I'm going, she thought.

Right at that moment, a VidWindow appeared before her. She glanced up in annoyance, half-expecting it to be George… only it wasn't.

"Zettabyte, I'm a little busy at the moment," Anna said stiffly.

Zettabyte frowned. "I need to know what is happening, Anna," the Command Dot Com replied firmly. "Have you found the User?" She leaned forward, narrowing her eyes as she read the Guardian's expression. "What have you done?"

"Alpha Starwell has been taken by some kind of sprite-like creature," Anna replied. "I'm about to go after them."

"Anna, wait," Zettabyte said. "I think we should discuss the next course of action before you do anything. I want you and George to come to the Principal's Office at once."

Anna seethed. "Zettabyte, the User must be found and quarantined at once! I need to-"

"Guardian Anna Code," Zettabyte snapped, in full command mode now. "You will come to the Principal Office at once, with or without George. You and I have a few things to discuss. End of discussion."

Anna almost seemed to sulk. "Yes, Ma'am," she acknowledged, and the VidWindow winked out. "Cappaten," the Guardian growled, "continuous scan." At least she could keep an eye on the hardware and whatever was inside of it while she spoke with Zettabyte. If the User or the mysterious creature left, Anna would be the first to know.

A short time later the Guardian marched into the command center of the Principal's Office, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her face carved into a permanent scowl. "You wanted to speak to me?" she addressed the Command Dot Com stiffly.

When Zettabyte turned around, her glare was only slightly more intense than Anna's scowl. "You attacked the User, didn't you?" she accused.

"I tried to obtain her," Anna said.

"I have several witnesses who've told me that you did more than that," Zettabyte said angrily. "You shot at her. You were trying to harm her, possibly delete her."

Anna folded her arms. "I was trying to protect this system!" she said. "If George hadn't gotten in the way I would have had her, too."

"What happened to George? Where is he?"

Anna sighed. "I left him out in the city while I pursued the User."

Zettabyte took a step toward Anna. "That does not answer my question. What did you do to him?" Somehow she seemed to sense that more had happened than the Guardian was willing to own up to.

Now Anna closed her eyes and looked away. "I lost my temper," she admitted, a hint of sheepishness creeping into her voice. "I…"

Zettabyte grabbed the Guardian roughly by the shoulder. "Come with me," she stated very firmly. "The first thing we are going to do is see that your husband is all right."

To her credit, Anna hung her head briefly and looked sincerely ashamed of her actions. For the moment, she put aside her quest for vengeance. "Yes," she agreed. "You are right."

Zettabyte began to walk, pulling Anna along with her in a secure grip as if afraid the Guardian might try to slip away. "I am relieved to hear that," the Command Dot Com commented. "I was almost afraid you had lost all sense of caring or responsibility in this madness of yours."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Starwell had no idea where she was. It appeared to be an enormous structure of some kind. She was in just one of the many rooms that were there. It was sparsely furnished with only a table here and a desk with a couple of chairs over there. The walls, floor and ceiling were dull silver in color, as if the entire place were made of metal and no one had bothered to paint it yet.

"H-hello?" Starwell called out tentatively.

"I am here."

Starwell gasped as she whirled around. She found herself staring at a tall, insect-like creature who stood in the middle of the room.

The being that stood there looked very much like a tall human-sized insect. Or sprite-sized, as was the case inside the computer system. Who am I kidding, this thing looks even taller than Uncle Frank, the girl thought as she licked her lips nervously. It's skin looked like dark reddish brown metal, it stood on a pair of long, slender legs that appeared both feminine and powerful. It also had four arms-two were level with its shoulders, the other two were located just above its mid-section. Its waist curved into an hour-glass shape. A pair of silk-like wings were folded against its back, shining in the light like reflective crystals.

Its face was like that of a robotic ant or wasp. However, it had no antennae; only a blue visor that completely concealed its eyes. It had a pair of mouth components that opened and closed vertically, ridged with points that looked like teeth. A pair of mandibles graced the horizontal sides of its mouth.

Despite the alien, insectoid appearance, this creature still had a couple of distinctive (and feminine) traits to its build. It had what appeared to be a compact yet fully developed bosom on its armored chest and a slender waist that flowed down into a pair of human-like hips. Its legs were long and slim, much more human-like than insect-like, though each of her feet ended with two large claws that made them appear somewhat hoof-like.

As the User would soon discover, whenever the creature spoke it confirmed what its sleek, curvy and feminine figure seemed to imply; she was obviously female.

"W-who or what are you?!" Starwell exclaimed with widened eyes. She took several steps back and then moved around behind the desk. Somehow she knew that if this creature really wanted to come at her, the desk wouldn't be able to stop it. Nevertheless it felt good to have at least something between it and herself.

"I am Qsa Linex," the entity answered. "I watch over the conversion device that brought you here and I am responsible for regulating it. I monitor its functions." She spoke very matter-of-factly.

The insect-like creature glanced around the room they were in and lifted her upper pair of arms above her head. "The conversion device is also my home," she added by way of explanation.

Finally, the insectoid lowered her arms and then folded her second pair of arms across the lower half of her torso. "I am aware of the User world, the place you come from," she stated. Her wings buzzed shrilly; whether it was due to some form of agitation or a barely contained thrill, Starwell couldn't tell. The alien face was impossible to read with that rigid, bug-like mouth and the visor covering her eyes. "My function is to regulate between cyberspace reality and what you probably call…" again, even in spite of the visor that covered her eyes, she managed to look thoughtful, "physical reality."

The Administrative Program then took a tentative step toward Starwell, eyeing her almost reverently. "Are you the User who created me?" Qsa again pointed at the space around her. "Who created all of this… for me?"

Starwell blinked several times. "I… don't know what you're talking about," she finally said. "I mean, I don't know where I am or how I got here."

"Ah…" Qsa Linex straightened, her entire form going rigid. "You do seem a bit… young."

The device on Starwell's arm began to beep and click. Qsa craned her neck at an angle to peer at it. "You have a Keytool," she observed. "Interesting."

Starwell stared at the device again, peering at it as if for the first time. "I don't know where it came from," she said.

"Nevertheless, consider yourself honored to be chosen by one," Qsa told the girl with a respectful tip of her head. "Even if it seems rather… eccentric," she added wryly.

The Keytool gave a squawk, as if offended. Whatever else it might be it was certainly moody.

"What did he say?" Qsa was curious.

"Huh?" Starwell frowned. "I guess he doesn't appreciate what you said… didn't you hear him?"

"Keytools have their own language," Qsa Linex explained. "Generally they are only understood by those that they have selected to exchange code with."

"Exchange code? What…?"

"Your Keytool has formed a bond with you," Qsa clarified.

"Uh… okay." Starwell eyed the thing on her arm again. "I don't get it, what is it for?"

"Keytools exist to assist with problems." Qsa moved to one side of the desk, her feet clacking against the ground as she went. She leaned almost casually against the wall as she studied the User-girl from a different angle, yet her stance remained rigid and alert. "Address him by name, and command him to do something," the insectoid creature instructed.

"But I don't know his name!" Starwell exclaimed, confused.

"Ask him."

"Um…" Starwell, feeling more than a little weird, brought her arm closer to her face. "What's your name?"

The Keytool was silent.

"You saved my life earlier," Starwell commented, as if trying to make conversation. "You're a helpful little gizmo, aren't you?"

The Keytool beeped positively and jiggled around, nearly jostling itself off of her arm.

"Oh… you like that?" Starwell said, a small smile spreading across her face. "Well, Gizmo, nice to meet you… I'm Alpha Starwell, I guess."

Gizmo beeped again, pleased to have a name by which it could exchange greetings.

"The naming of a Keytool," Qsa observed with interest. "Such an honor is usually reserved for the Master of the Keytools, or…" She eyed the girl. "Users such as yourself, I suppose."

"How do you know so much about Keytools?" Starwell asked. "Do you have one?"

"No, but this system has a Guardian who is joined with a Keytool. Since my creation have I been analyzing this system and everything that exists with in it." Qsa Linex's wings twitched. They looked very much like crystalline dragonfly wings; she had an upper and a lower set. "I have gleaned a lot of knowledge about the way things work in the Net, and I have an approximate understanding of how things work outside the Net."

"Really? Wow…"

"Though there is always room to learn more. It would seem that we have matters to discuss." Linex seemed to relax as she moved away from the wall. She repositioned her wings and sank to the floor, sitting cross-legged. "Starwell, you have stated that you are not the User who created me or the hardware that brought you into the Net."

"No… that would be my Uncle Frank, I guess. He was working hard on something and…" Starwell looked down at the floor, scuffing her shoe sheepishly. "I snuck into his office to get a look at his computer when he wasn't looking."

Qsa Linex nodded thoughtfully. "Youthful rebellion and childish curiosity," she stated, as if reciting something from a textbook-or perhaps a ReadMe file. "Apparently this occurrence exists in physical reality as it does in cyberspace."

Starwell furrowed her brow, not quite sure how to respond to that. "I just wanted to take a look," she finally murmured, looking away. "I never expected anything like this would happen," she added sheepishly.

The Administrative Program rose in a smooth motion and stepped forward. She placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. Starwell flinched but otherwise didn't react much. "Move away from the desk, let us sit in the chairs over there," Qsa suggested, pointing toward the cushioned seats on the other side of the room.

Starwell nodded and complied, if a bit numbly. All of this was still very new to her and rather scary, though it seemed like she could trust this… program. Linex had saved her life, after all, and they seemed relatively safe here.

Once they were seated in the chairs, Qsa allowed her wings to drape over the back of her chair and she folded both sets of hands neatly in her lap.

"Nice chairs," Starwell remarked, a little surprised. "I didn't think you computer people would have anything like this."

Qsa Linex inclined her head. "Most of the Tower is not like this room," she said. "This area is intended for User comfort." She shifted her position and traced the edges of her chair with her long, narrow fingertips. "It is… different. Interesting, though."

"So you based this entire room off of stuff from the User world?" Starwell blinked, amazed.

"Yes. The hardware we are currently inside of has the ability to 'see' a glimpse of the User world through a camera eye." Linex leaned back the seat as much as her wings would allow. "I will even admit that I saw you just before you were converted into a sprite."

"Okay that's kind of creepy," Starwell said in spite of herself. She shuddered involuntarily.

"I have seen very little of your world, but I can glimpse what little appears to be in range of the camera eye any time I wish."

"Wow…" The User-sprite looked a tad overwhelmed by this news, on top of everything else.

Qsa Linex chose to change the subject. "So my creator is your Uncle?" she asked.

"Yeah… oh crap," Starwell buried her face into her hands. "He's going to be so mad at me when he finds out I played around with his computer."

"What is done is done," Qsa replied matter-of-factly. "You are here now, and this cannot be changed. What must be discussed is what to do with you now."

Starwell looked up at her sharply. "What do you mean? Can't you just send me back?"

"Perhaps, yes," Qsa nodded, "but not immediately. The conversion hardware will need time to fully recharge again. I estimate…" She fell silent, as if listening to something or even asking a silent question. "At least several more seconds. Perhaps longer to be safe; the device can operate on a partial charge, but it is highly recommended that we wait until it is fully charged first. It would be safer to wait."

Gizmo chirped, apparently agreeing that it would be better to be safe than sorry.

"So I can't go home right away?" Starwell breathed. "I have to go home as soon as possible! I can't stay here!"

"Once the device is fully charged," Qsa Linex vowed, "I will personally see to it that you are returned to your world." She unfolded one of her arms and placed a gentle hand on Starwell's shoulder. "In the meantime, let us converse."

"Um… okay." Starwell shrugged. She figured they might as well talk, especially since there didn't seem to be much else to do. "Hey," she said as an afterthought, "is my name really Alpha Starwell here?"

"…This is the Username you selected before you enter the Net, correct?"

"Yeah it is," Starwell nodded. "But out there," she pointed toward the sky, "my real name is Hannah Forbes."

"Within this system," Qsa explained, "your name and identity is Alpha Starwell, as it will be within any registry throughout the Net. Whatever you call yourself outside the Net is… irrelevant to me." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay then," Starwell said slowly. "So what happens if I tell someone my name is Hannah?"

"I believe the correct response would be…" Qsa looked directly at the young User. "Incorrect file name."

"So I'm a… f-file?"

"You exist in a super-condensed, compressed file state," Qsa replied. "Everything that you are… your mind, your senses, your very being… it would overload this system if not compressed or contained within your current sprite form." A slight shudder rippled through Linex's calm, controlled demeanor at the thought.

"Wow," was all that Starwell could think to say to that. "But… what about this guy?" She indicated the Keytool on her arm. "Where did he come from?"

Qsa Linex was silent for a few nanos. "It would appear that he was created at the very instant you were converted from physical matter into energy," she finally replied. "How this happened or where he came from, I am unsure. Part of it may have been the Master of Keytools at work somehow. But…" She inhaled a breath, as if awed. "I theorize that he has existed previously… possibly as something you brought with you."

"Like what?" Starwell mused aloud, trying to think of anything she might've had with her.

"Unknown."

Starwell might have pondered it further, but it didn't seem to matter much. She was still stunned by all of this and trying to process all of it. Where a Keytool came from or what it used to be in its previous life didn't seem to matter all that much.

"How much longer until I can go home?" she finally asked instead.

"To reach the level of safety, we must wait at least another twenty seconds."

"Okay," Starwell nodded. That didn't sound so bad… at least it didn't, until she realized something. "Oh no…" Her eyes widened with horror.

"What is it?"

"Seconds aren't the same in here as they are out there, are they?" Starwell gulped. "I mean… time works differently here."

"I suppose that it does."

"But that means I'll have to wait a lot longer for these seconds to pass! The first second hasn't even ended yet!" Starwell sprung from her chair and began to pace, feeling Linex's eyes follow her every move.

"Starwell, calm down." Linex's voice was gentle, but firm.

"I can't calm down!" Starwell snapped, clenching her fists and glaring at Qsa. "This is terrible! I'm gonna have to spend the Net equivalent of days waiting around in here! I… I…"

She turned away and stared off into space as an odd thought came to her. "I feel like I'm in Narnia," she breathed with astonishment.


	14. Chapter 14

When Zettabyte and Anna Code found George he was just waking up and rubbing his head. He looked around briefly, as though trying to remember what happened. "What-" he began, then grimaced when he saw Anna.

"George…" The Guardian dropped down to her knees next to her husband, touching his chin and looking straight into his eyes. "I am so sorry," she whispered. "I… I never meant to hurt you. I don't know what came over me."

Under any other circumstances, George would have taken his wife into his arms and held her dearly. He would have told her that it was all right and that he understood. But not here, and not now. He grabbed her wrist and moved her hand away from his face.

"You're sorry?" he said, making a little noise that sounded like a bitter chuckle. "You're sorry?" He gave her wrist a squeeze. "That's all you have to say, after everything you've done?"

"I…" Anna looked away. "George, please. I just…"

"No, just shut up and listen to me," George snapped, sitting up on his knees and grabbing her firmly by the shoulders. He stared straight into her face, ignoring Zettabyte who stood patiently a short distance away. "You have been avoiding me and driving yourself crazy for seconds. Your friend Zettabyte has been trying to help you sort through this, and more importantly, your husband has been trying to help you with this. And you just keep shutting us out!"

He squeezed her shoulders, giving her a little shake. He allowed the pain he felt to surface in his eyes as he stared into hers. "Do you know how much that hurts?" he demanded of her. "Do you? Or are you too dead inside because of this User business to care about anything besides revenge?"

Anna's eyelids blinked several times. George's passionate plea had stirred something deep inside of her, something that she had been pushing aside ever since this entire mess started. She had responsibilities, she had friends and family, and all of that had been suppressed due to her desire to deal with the User once it entered the system.

A few tears stung her eyes. She quickly blinked them back. She refused to cry in front of anyone; that was something a helpless child did, not a fully grown and capable Guardian. Yes, she was a Guardian… which meant that her duty was to defend the system.

"I…" Anna got to her feet, pulling free of George's grip.

George's pained expressed mixed with anger. "Anna…"

"Please… just go back to the Principal's Office," she said in a low, quiet tone. "Both of you, please." She turned and walked away.

Zettabyte and George watched her go in silence.

"Are you alright, my son?" Zettabyte asked softly.

George's face twisted into an expression of anger and sadness. "I won't be okay until she's okay," he replied after a moment. "If only this had happened while she was still away at the Supercomputer…"

"I understand how you feel, but wishing for things to have happened differently will not make it so," Zettabyte said gently but firmly. Her expression changed to one of sympathy.

"I still can't believe she hit me." George rubbed his back muscles a bit; they were still a little sore.

"Those who are in pain tend to inflict pain on others," Zettabyte said, as if reciting an old ReadMe file.

"In my case, I guess that means literally," George muttered. "I don't know if I should go after her or if I should just give her some space."

"I think you should do both," Zettabyte said. "Give her a little time to herself, then go look for her." She placed her hands on his shoulders, giving them a motherly squeeze. "I will check on you both in a few cycles."

George raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

"Well," Zettabyte lowered her hands. "I am going to the new hardware."

"You are?"

"Yes… according to the scans at the Principal Office, the User is currently with the head program that regulates the hardware. I believe that it is an Administrative Program."

"Huh… why would this program, and the User, go there?"

"That is what I intend to find out," Zettabyte replied.

"Hey, I'll go with you," George offered sincerely.

"It could be risky, my son."

"All the more reason why someone should go with you. Ideally you should take a Guardian with you, but uh…" George trailed off.

Zettabyte nodded wistfully. "Indeed, not the best idea in this case." She sighed. "Alright, we will go together," she finally said with a little shrug. "But we must be careful; we do not know anything about this program or…" She inhaled deeply, almost reverently. "Or the User."

George nodded, his expression becoming more serious. "Yeah… the User."

Both of them stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. Now that the shock of the matter had worn off, they let the notion sink in. Ever since the hardware had been plugged in and the new data had come pouring in, they had been faced with the fact that a User would inevitably end up entering the Net.

There was no longer any denying the possibility or waiting for that eventuality to occur; it had happened. An event that seemed impossible, outrageous, and terrifying all at once.

"Zettabyte," George's brow furrowed with concern, "you look a little pale."

The Command Dot Com forced a smile. It looked strained. "I am fine, just… feeling overwhelmed," she admitted.

"Maybe we should both sit down for a bit before we go," George suggested, taking her by the arm. "There's a bench right over there." He pointed.

At first Zettabyte looked like she might refuse, but then she nodded. "Very well, my son… I think I will sit down. But only for a millisecond or two."

0o0o0o0o0

Anna Code would not shed any tears. That simply wasn't permissible; she was a Guardian and no longer a weak little sprite.

Every fiber of her being screamed at her to travel immediately to the conversion hardware and get the User. Her Guardian Code commanded her to act in defense of the system and that included the entire Net. Guardians were encoded to defend systems against viruses, bugs, games, and any other threat that might come along.

Defeating the User in a game was deeply entrenched into Anna's being. Now there was a User in her system. What else was she supposed to do except respond to Starwell as a potential threat?

She felt conflicted. She loved George very much, otherwise she wouldn't have married him. Yet she had struck him down when he got in her way.

I did it for the good of the system, she thought, pressing her lips into a thin line. He was… getting in my way.

What did that mean, though? Would she have hurt Kat if her sister had tried to protect the virus instead of attacking it?

Anna felt a fresh surge of anger and grief wash through her. At least Kat died helping me against the virus. Anyone who doesn't do what is necessary against threats are… hindering the system.

Besides, at least George was alright. She would never do anything to harm him permanently; that would have gone against her Guardian Code.

Finding a newfound resolution within herself, Anna Code clenched her hands into fists and began to walk again. I'll do what is best for this system whether my husband, the Command Dot Com, and anyone else likes it or not! she vowed.

Having reached that conclusion in the midst of her inner conflict, she threw out her zip board and jumped onto it. She then proceeded to fly in the direction of the converter hardware, a zone that existed as an extension of the system. It appeared as a tall tower some distance from the city, resting on a tiny island in the middle of the energy sea. It was truly a magnificent sight to behold, a metallic brown tower touched up decoratively with gold and silver colors. It could only be approached by Zip Board or a flying vehicle as there was no bridge or interconnecting circuit.

Anna sped forward rapidly, angling her body to get the most alacrity out of her transport. It wasn't long before she left the city behind her and flew over the Energy Sea. It glowed brilliantly as portions of it crackled or pulsed here and there. She frowned and made a mental note to check into that at the Principal Office later; usually minor distortions were normal, but it was always a good idea to scan for potential errors or energy buildup. The last thing they needed was an overload that might wipe out the system.

It's possible that this new hardware might have affected the system, she thought tensely. Plus there was also a possibility that a User entering the system could have caused unforeseen errors.

The Guardian was distracted from her train of thought when she noticed something. There appeared to be a car flying toward the Tower; it was already ahead of her and approaching the hardware at a moderate pace. Whoever it was, they were in no hurry.

Who is that? Anna thought with a furrowed brow. "Cappaten, scanner." She eyed the readout on the pair of sprites in the car and she scowled when she read their PIDs. She would know those two sprites anywhere.

"Cursors!" Anna sped forward, moving to intercept the car.

Once she was within earshot she called out to them; the car slowed to a stop and she pulled up beside it.

"What do you two think you're doing?" Anna demanded, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the occupants in the car. She looked like an authority figure preparing to scold a wayward pair of joy-riders for wandering into an area that was off-limits.

George was in the drivers' seat and Zettabyte was riding shotgun. "Anna," the Command Dot Com warned in her own tone of authority. Beside her, George looked somewhere between sheepish and upset.

"Don't 'Anna' me!" the Guardian snapped. "That Tower is the last place either of you should go, especially without an armed escort of CPU defenders. Or," she added as she folded her arms, "at least a Guardian."

"We know the risks," Zettabyte replied, gently but firmly. "I am willing to take that chance."

"It's a chance that the Command Dot Com shouldn't be taking!" Anna barked. "And George, I won't let you go either! You might get hurt."

"You've already hurt me," George pointed out very quietly. He didn't even look at her, he simply stared straight ahead in the direction of the Tower.

Anna twitched as if she had been slapped. "I know," she acknowledged. Her voice cracked slightly with guilt and her eyes held a trace of sadness. "I am sorry I did that, George. Please…" She maneuvered herself around to his side of the car, bringing herself close to him. "Don't go there. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Oh I get it," George grumbled, glaring up at her. "It's alright for you to hit me but not some User girl."

"George," Zettabyte scolded gently as Anna bit her lower lip. "Look, we can sort out what happened between you later. It is obvious that both of you have things you need to discuss." The Command Dot Com gave each of them a meaningful glance. "But for now we must focus on the task at hand. Anna, I do not feel that the program who lives within the Tower has aggressive intentions; whoever it is has not attacked the city, it has simply taken the User to its place of residence."

"But why?" George asked, his curiosity kicking in. "I don't get it."

"I do not know," Zettabyte shrugged. "It could consider such an action to be part of its function, perhaps."

"Then it's in league with the User," Anna concluded, moving a few feet back away from the car.

George narrowed his eyes, reading his wife's body language. "Don't you dare," he warned.

"What?" Anna glared back.

"You're thinking about rushing on ahead of us," George told her. "Don't. I think the three of us should go together or not at all," he said sternly.

"Perhaps that would be best," Zettabyte sighed.

"But-" Anna began, but was cut off.

"No buts," George spoke up. "Look, obviously you aren't going to be happy until you check this out for yourself. I don't know if it's just your Guardian Code or if you're crazy or maybe both, but you need us to come along with you."

"And why is that?" Anna demanded.

"To make sure you don't do something stupid like you did before," George answered.

Anna opened her mouth and then closed it. Her fingers clenched so tightly into fists that her arms shook. "Fine," she gave in, reluctantly.

Zettabyte gave a little nod of approval. "Then let us go," she sighed.

"Not just yet." George jerked a thumb toward the back seat. "Anna, get in." He extended his arm. "And give me your Zip Board."

Anna opened her mouth to protest, but George held up a single digit. "Don't argue with me. Get in the back or go to the Principal Office and wait for us."

The young Guardian pursed her lips. Her lavender cheeks shaded more toward pink as she moved closer to the car and rigidly stepped off of her Zip Board and plunked herself into the seat behind her husband. George snatched the abandoned Zip Board and compressed it, placing it in his pocket.

"Alright…" George breathed. "Let's go."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Qsa Linex movements were as graceful as a dance on her long legs, the edges of her crystal-like wings barely grazing the smooth floor behind her as she moved. Despite their solid appearance, the wings were actually quite flexible in the program's relaxed state. However, they could apparently become rigid with razor-sharp edges at will; this was one of her many defenses.

"The room I am about to show you is the central control chamber," Linex said as she led the User-girl down a long, winding corridor. They paused just outside the door to the chamber; Linex paused and gave Starwell a meaningful look. "I do not allow just anyone in here, young User. Only those with proper authorization… mostly those who were created specifically to run this hardware as I was."

Behind the visor, the insect-like eyes narrowed. "I only permit you access because of your association with your Uncle, and you have used this hardware." Linex made a sweeping gesture to indicate the structure around them. "This place is my home, and you are a part of it as well."

"I am?" Starwell blinked. "How so?"

"All of the information about you is stored here, as it is within the system registry," Linex explained as her long, claw-like digits tapped in the access code on the door. Soft beeping sounds chimed as the buttons were pressed, a different pitch for each key. "Your Username and password are stored within this tower's memory. Not only that, but a copy of the information gathered when your body was scanned and processed outside the Net, in physical reality."

The door slid open and they entered slowly. "There is also a copy of your digital form in the memory storage area which exists as dormant files until and unless it is needed. There is also an imprint of your current sprite-form in the main memory of this hardware, which is essential for your eventual return to your home."

"Uh, why is that?" Starwell asked distractedly, smoothing her hair with her fingers. She was still too stunned by all of this to take in much of the information being thrown at her, though she did absorb bits and pieces. Anything that pertained to her going home interested her in particular.

"Because this hardware will only work if two vital things are in place. An imprint of your present digital form in the memory, and…" Linex looked directly at the girl, silently conveying the importance of this next point. "You must be exactly as you are now. If there is even the slightest alteration to your present form, you will not match the imprint stored in memory."

"What does that mean?" Starwell asked warily. "That I won't be able to go home?"

"Essentially, yes. If you are not identical to the 'image' stored in memory, it will not recognize you. It would be unable to reverse the process." Linex breathed in deeply. "It would be unable to change you from an energy-based being back into a physical entity," she clarified thoughtfully.

Starwell tugged at the edges of her shirt as if to smooth it. This proved to be a useless gesture since the clothing fit her form perfectly and it seemed unable to form creases or wrinkles. Momentarily intrigued, the girl ran her fingertips across her torso. Does this mean clothes never get dirty? she thought. I guess these people don't have to go to a Laundromat, then…

"Well, I don't plan on changing," she commented thoughtfully. "Why would I change anyway?" She figured it was somehow a possibility, otherwise Linex wouldn't have given such a strong warning.

"Let us just say that things can happen in the Net… in any system," Linex told her simply. "It would be best if you remain inside my Tower's living-space to avoid potential harm or alteration to your present form."

They completed their walk to the end of the corridor and a pair of unsecured doors parted vertically for them. Starwell's eyes went absolutely wide at what she saw within the central chamber.

It was the biggest room she had ever seen in her life, an enormous chamber that was roughly sphere-shaped with flattened curves and surfaces, creating edges and crevices as well as multiple corners. It was a very unusual room because it had platforms, stations, equipment and access ports on the floor, each of the four walls, and the ceiling.

There was even a large, metallic-looking sphere which hovered in the center of the chamber with no extensions or platforms holding it place; it hovered by its own energy. A soft glow emanated from a small circle on each side, indicating a great power within.

There were about three and a half dozen sentient programs all over the chamber; each one looked like smaller versions of Qsa Linex, minus the wings and the visor. Every station and platform was occupied by each of these creatures. The creatures who occupied the vital areas on the walls and ceiling were seated, conversing, or even walking about as if they were moving on the regular floor. Either gravity worked differently here or they could secure their legs to the floor like real-world insects.

Starwell quickly decided she did not want to test out that theory herself. "This place is amazing!" she breathed with fascination and a bit of awe.

Qsa Linex tipped her head in acknowledgement. Behind the visor, her eyes grew larger with appreciation, even slight pride. "I do my best to maintain order and to look after the programs who serve under me. I make certain that all vital and minute tasks are completed. However…" Her wings twitched and her form shifted a little. "I can take no credit for all of this. It was your Uncle."

The program's gaze swept across the chamber in thoughtful silence for a moment. "I must say that I am… grateful for my existence, my purpose… for all of this, and all of my workers." She placed a hand on her torso and bowed her head. "I do hope I get the opportunity to meet my… creator one second." Linex then looked at the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If I do not get this chance… please tell him I said thank you when you return to him."

Starwell nodded. It was a little overwhelming to receive such a heartfelt request. In a way… it almost seemed as though Qsa Linex, along with everyone and everything else within the tower, were Uncle Frank's children and design. "Yeah, okay," she promised. "Just… please help me get home."

"I will do my best, young User."

Linex then stepped behind the User-sprite and wrapped her lower pair of arms around Starwell's waist while placing her upper pair of hands under the girl's underarms, preparing to lift her.

Starwell stiffened, startled and uncomfortable by the unexpected touch. "Whoa, what are you doing!?"

"We are going deeper inside." Linex's swings lifted and expanded to their full length and began to ripple in rapid movement. They emitted a terrible buzz that echoed through the chamber as she lifted off the floor, holding the User-Sprite securely.


	15. Chapter 15

Starwell gave a little scream as they moved closer toward the giant floating sphere within the chamber; the platform that was really a chamber within a chamber. "Remain calm, Starwell," Linex shouted over the noise of her wings. "We are going inside!"

Moments later, they did go inside, through a tunnel-like chamber near the bottom-if "bottom" even meant anything in this strange, gigantic room.

Inside sphere-shaped chamber there was an energy vortex that swirled and pulsed within a secure containment field. A catwalk ran along the entire length of the wall in a complete, seamless circle; it also had a solid, steel-like rail to that came up to just above Starwell's waist.

Qsa Linex eyed the girl after setting her down. Linex's mouth was made up of rigid, beak-like elements with a mandible attached to either side of it. Thus, it was impossible for her to smile. Yet somehow she managed to smile with her eyes and her stance as she observed Starwell's reaction.

The User-Sprite stared into the energy vortex, barely even breathing for a nano. "Wow," Starwell finally blinked, leaning forward with her hands gripping the edge of the railing firmly. The sight before her was both beautiful and terrible. The energy vortex throbbed like a beating heart within a living organism, the sound resonating off of the walls. The rhythm could even be felt through a slight vibration under Starwell's feet and beneath her fingertips as she continued to grip the railing.

"This is where the energy that powers the device is charged," Linex explained with obvious pride. There was nothing boastful in her demeanor; she took no credit for anything here except the quality of her own performance. She was, however, pleased and impressed with everything she had been given charge of and created to regulate.

"If it were fully charged, I never would have brought you in here," she went on. "It would be too dangerous." Linex gestured toward the energy sphere before them. "If you look very closely, you can see that it is growing larger as it recharges."

Starwell stared for a long moment, then shook her head. "It looks the same to me."

"It requires time and patience to observe it's expansion in size," Linex replied. "It is recharging at a steady rate, though… perhaps my senses are programmed to be more acutely aware of it."

"Yeah… maybe," Starwell muttered.

"When this hardware is fully charged, the energy will fill this entire chamber," Linex said, indicating the space before them. "The containment field keeps it confined."

"So I see." Something inside Starwell clicked. The girl realized how significant this gesture was. Qsa Linex was effectively showing her the true heart of her home, something that the program herself had indicated she didn't do for just anyone. "Thanks for showing me this," Starwell acknowledged with a slight smile.

Linex inclined her head. "It was my pleasure, young User." She seemed about to say something else, but then she glanced upward slightly, as if hearing something only she could hear.

"It seems we have visitors," Linex said after a moment.

"How do you do that?" Starwell asked. "Do you have a telepathic link with the others or something?"

"We share a connection, yes," Linex replied. "We also communicate in a language and frequency that…" She tipped her head thoughtfully, "I think your senses are unable to perceive."

With that the program bent her form just enough to pick up the girl once again. "Come," Linex said as her wings spread and began to buzz shrilly as they lifted off the floor.

Starwell squeezed her eyes shut and covered her face with her arm. Linex's crystal-like wings were somehow transparent and highly reflective, causing the surface of the wings to light up in a blinding brilliance.

The girl opened her eyes a short time after the illumination returned to a more comfortable level. She lowered her arm and her eyelids flickered as Linex set her down; they were back in the main control room just outside the energy containment sphere. The smaller programs were still moving about and attending to their duties, but there seemed to be vibes of agitation and excitement emanating through the air.

It felt like empathic waves of sound vibrating off of Starwell's skin. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Even if she couldn't understand it or hear it very well, perhaps her senses were still able to pick up the edges of their communication.

A calming, firm vibe that was both authoritive and soothing at the same time flowed from Qsa Linex and seemed to ripple through the room like an invisible wave. Whatever she communicated seemed to have its desired effect; the subordinate programs seemed to calm themselves marginally.

"Remain here, Starwell," Qsa Linex told the girl and then drew herself to her full height, bearing herself as a Queen would. In the next instant, the administrative program was gone.

Starwell could only stare at the spot where Linex had been a nano ago. Then something else caught her attention; a flurry of movement as several new insectoids entered the chamber.

These programs were larger than the workers who were already present, yet still a head or two shorter than Qsa Linex. These beings were considerably more wasp-like in appearance; there was almost nothing about them that resembled a humanoid form except for the vaguely humanoid shaped pair of legs they walked on. They each had four pairs of arms much like their Queen, though the structure of their mid-body appeared more like a furred and armored thorax, plus they each contained only a single pair of wings.

One of them released a shrill hiss and landed near Starwell. Even though it made no threatening move-it barely even glanced in Starwell's direction-it still caused the girl's stomach to tumble into her ankles.

"Oh my God," was all that Starwell could utter. It came out as a muted squeak. "Oh my God… Oh my God… I want to go home!"

The device on her arm chirped a couple of times. That earned a slight glance from the nearest, wasp-like insectoid, perhaps out of curiosity. But otherwise there was no response or attempt at interaction.

Unsure what else to do, Starwell could only stand there in place, too nervous and uncertain to move.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The car set down at the base of the Tower, just outside one of the entrance. As George powered down the engine Anna was already hopping out of the car.

"Do not get too far ahead of us, Guardian," Zettabyte warned in a stern tone.

Anna shot her a look. "It is a Guardian's duty to take point," she replied in kind. "I'm not prepared to let either of you take unnecessary risks."

"Let's just take it easy," George recommended. "We'll go up to the door together."

"Fine." Anna pursed her lips as the three of them proceeded forth.

Just as they approached the doorway, it opened on its own. A pair of large, wasp-like creatures stood just inside, each wielding an electric, spear-like device.

"It would appear these are guards," Zettabyte whispered to her companions.

Anna took a single step forward and drew herself to her full height. "I am Guardian 752," she told the creatures firmly. "State your names and your functions."

One of the insect-like creatures glanced at the other. They straightened themselves and resumed staring at the three outsiders.

"You will answer me," Anna demanded, raising her voice. "State your names and your functions!"

One of the creature's mandibles twitched. Then the beak-like mouth opened to release a shrill hiss which proceeded into a vocal range beyond the Net-Sprite's ability to hear.

"Stop making noises I can't understand," Anna snapped, "and-"

"Anna," George placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "I don't think they speak Net-Standard."

The female Guardian blinked. "Huh, perhaps they don't," she mused aloud.

"We know nothing about the inhabitants of this Tower," Zettabyte reasoned. "There may be a lot of things we do not know."

"We know that the User is inside," Anna stated. "We also know that this Tower is capable of bringing Users into the Net." She took a step back, away from the door.

"What are you doing?" George asked. He knew his wife's body language enough to know that she was thinking of something.

"This place is an abomination, a danger to the Net!" Anna said. "It needs to be shut down."

"Anna, we do not know anything about the people who live here," Zettabyte cautioned. "We should learn more before we do anything."

"In the time it takes us to learn more," Anna argued, "this thing could destroy the entire system. Perhaps even the entire Net!"

One of the insectoid creatures hissed. The Guardian turned to regard the creature, as if anticipating a threat. However there was nothing aggressive about the creature's body language; in fact, it was looking in the opposite direction, behind itself inside the Tower.

It became evident why; another creature was coming. This one was somewhat taller, far more feminine in appearance, and carried herself with a confidence that a leader bearing great responsibility had.

The guards took a step back in order to let their leader through. The being didn't step outside, but she did step close enough to the door to poke her head out; she also placed all of her hands along the frame of the door and spread her wings. She was effectively blocking the entrance as her guards stood just behind her, one at each shoulder.

"Greetings," Zettabyte spoke. The Command Dot Com chose to take a friendly, diplomatic approach. First impressions could very well leave lasting impressions, after all. "I am Zettabyte, and I was hoping to speak with you. Are you in charge here?"

The bug-lady tilted her head to one side, her blue visor glimmering with a purplish tinge as it reflected light from the energy sea. "I am Qsa Linex," she said. She did not speak loudly or even firmly, yet her voice had a resonating quality that seemed to vibrate the air around her.

Anna tensed, practically smelling the power that rolled off of Linex's presence alone. Her Guardian senses were tingling and her processor began to race.

"I am the Administrator of this place," Linex went on, gesturing the Tower around her. "Or Queen if you prefer a more dramatic representation of my code and function." She released a soft breath of a laugh, as though putting forth a subtle joke of some sort.

Zettabyte nodded and smiled. If she had been the grandiose sort, anyone in her position might have attempted the We're each in charge of our own city and therefore we may speak as peers line, but Zettabyte did no such thing. She understood that this Tower was Linex's own domain. If someone had come into Zettabyte's city expecting to get anywhere just because they thought they were somebody, they would not get very far with Zettabyte.

The Command Dot Com knew that this program deserved the same respect and courtesy as any other individual. "We came here because we are curious," she said sincerely. "We want to know more about you, as well as the Tower."

Qsa Linex seemed to consider this for a moment. "I can understand that this place would seem significant to you, considering its function and purpose. It is, after all, the only device in the known Net that is capable of bringing a User into a system."

Zettabyte detected no boasting in her tone. In fact, Linex didn't even strike Zettabyte as the type to have an ego; the Queen did not seem vain. She was simply stating fact, even if the insectoid found self-worth and confidence in her function and duties.

Anna, however, took the words the wrong way. "Don't be so full of yourself. The only reason I'm here is because you and this Tower are a threat to this system."

"Anna…" George warned.

The Guardian ignored him; her steely gaze remained locked on Linex. "You are harboring a User. I must demand that you hand her over." Anna placed her hands on her hips.

Qsa Linex regarded the Guardian stoically. "Making such demands here is ill advised, especially when your demeanor is hostile." The Queen took a step back, removing her hands from the door. If there had been any intention on her part to let the sprites inside, it appeared to be fading fast.

"Our Guardian is simply concerned," Zettabyte spoke up in an attempt to smooth things over. "She cannot go against her Code; Guardians are programmed to defend the System they are responsible for."

"I can understand that," Qsa Linex acknowledged with a short nod. "You should also understand that I cannot go against my programming. If I perceive hostile intent I cannot permit access to my home."

"What if we choose to enter anyway?" Anna asked darkly.

As if in answer to that query, the two guards standing behind Qsa Linex growled and hissed. Then three more appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I would not recommend it, for your own safety," Qsa Linex said matter-of-factly.

The guards had no inclination to step outside, though they were alert and ready for anything. Their Queen made no move or sound to order an attack but she did not dismiss them or tell them to stand at ease, either.

"Then I demand you hand over the User," Anna barked, her voice full of authority. "Any threat to this system is my responsibility to deal with. If you don't give her to me, there will be consequences."

"Anna…" Zettabyte's voice took on a firm edge.

For the first time since she had appeared Qsa Linex's calm, almost stoic demeanor changed. George could almost see the fire in the Queen's eyes behind her visor and she gave off an almost tangible vibe of sternness that made him flinch.

"You overstep your jurisdiction once you make such threats on my doorstep, Guardian," Linex stated with icy calm. The air around all of them seemed to chill. "I require nothing from your city and you shall not see me there unless there is great need. I highly recommend all of you leave, now."

"We're going," George said before Anna could protest. He grabbed her firmly by the arms and escorted her toward the car, tightening his grip as she tried to wrench out of his grasp.

"I would like to apologize for this," Zettabyte sighed, knowing full well that any attempt to enter the Tower or establish a friendly dialogue had been sabotaged. The realization cast a shadow of disappointment across the old sprite's face. "Perhaps we could try speaking again at a later time."

Qsa Linex's gaze lingered upon the Command Dot Com for a long moment. Then something about her rigid stance softened. "I believe that could be arranged," the Queen finally allowed. "Perhaps you and I could converse again, after I attend to a few other matters."

Zettabyte couldn't help but perk up a bit. "I would be greatly honored if you would speak with me again," she smiled, giving a slight bow of her head.

"We will use VidWindows; it would be a safer means of communication for all individuals involved." Qsa Linex inclined her head. "Farewell, Zettabyte."

With that, the door closed and sealed. That was the end of that.

Zettabyte blinked, staring at the shut, metallic door for a long moment, then she turned and headed back toward the car. Anna and George were already in the front seats; George started the engine. Anna had her arms folded and she sat slouched in her seat.

"That could have gone better," George muttered as Zettabyte climbed into the back of the car.

"Yes, it could have," Zettabyte concurred with a stern glance directed at Anna. "However it was not a complete loss. Linex has agreed to speak with me again at some point."

"Don't tell me you plan to come back here." Anna cast the older sprite a look as if Zettabyte had gone random.

"No, we plan to converse via VidWindow. Anna, Dear, I know how you feel about all of this, but you must not worry. Communication is what is needed to establish good relations."

"You don't talk to potential threats. Do you know what would have happened if I stood around talking to the virus that deleted Kat?" Anna demanded. "That thing would have deleted a lot more."

"But that virus was purposely attacking the city," Zettabyte pointed out. "Thus far I haven't seen any evidence of the User or any program inside that Tower inflicting harm upon the city."

"You don't know that it won't happen, either!" Anna insisted. "It's best to treat this situation like a viral contamination. Either isolate and quarantine it, or find a way to remove it."

"That is not the answer to everything, Anna."

"You aren't listening to me!" Anna clenched her fist.

"You haven't been listening to either of us, either," George pointed out firmly.

The three of them continued to debate the issue at hand all the way back to the Principal Office, an argument which didn't get any of them anywhere. When they finally arrived, George and Zettabyte proceeded toward the main control room as Anna shot off in a different direction.

"She's up to something," George remarked in a wary tone. "I know that look she had in the car. She's going to try something."

Zettabyte sighed. "Let's give her a little time to cool down," she recommended. "Then one of us can try speaking to her again."

"Yeah… I hope you're right." Something deep inside of George told him he should go and seek out his wife, now. Instead he simply chose to shrug it off.

Maybe she did just need some time to cool down. He didn't really want to deal with her attitude for the moment anyway, he needed some time to himself.

Yet the nagging feeling that she was going to do something persisted. Perhaps it was a vague, subconscious intuition developed from their brief telepathic capabilities within that last game. George frowned as he tried to analyze the feeling, even as he got back to work.

Whatever it was… it didn't seem to be anything he could put into words. He couldn't even put his finger on it. It just felt like he had glimpsed a darkness within his wife's psyche, something fueled partly by her Guardian Code but even more by her emotions and strong opinions.

A mild epiphany struck George just then. It caused him to shake his head and brush it off. "No," he said aloud to himself, just loudly enough for him to hear. "She wouldn't do anything drastic, she just wouldn't." He focused his attention on his work, delving deeper into denial.


	16. Chapter 16

Anna Code marched through the hallways of the Principal Office with a specific destination in mind. She got into the nearest elevator and firmly jabbed a finger against the button to take her to the lowest level.

She eyed her Keytool in silence as the lift moved downward at a moderate pace. This is what I am, she thought. I am a Guardian. I must do something to protect this system, even if no one else will see the threat.

The elevator lift came to a halt and the door opened. Anna stepped out and proceeded down the hallway, moving swiftly until she reached one of the entranceways to the Core. She keyed in the password, announced her presence, and then entered.

She ignored most of the Core room as she proceeded directly toward a panel on one of the walls, a control panel which allowed access to the System. She took a deep breath as she stood before it, then she touched the panel. An access panel came up.

Anna blew out a breath. For a mere nano, her finger hovered over a command. Then she pressed it. The panel went dark. Then the System Voice spoke, giving a System-Wide announcement: "WARNING: SYSTEM ENTERING SAFE MODE. STAND BY." Anna pressed her lips into a thin line. Hopefully this would work.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zettabyte was in the middle of reading a System Report in the control room when the announcement sounded off.

"WARNING: SYSTEM ENTERING SAFE MODE. STAND BY."

"What?" Zettabyte's head snapped up. She rushed over to the main console to find out what was happening. "Oh no," she uttered. It wasn't the most terrible thing in the Net, but it was something that would temporarily shut down most of the system's higher functioning programs, including all of the sprites and binomes. The system would continue to run, but everything and everyone would be effectively shut down until the User restarted.

She looked around the room at her staff. "It will be okay," she attempted to sooth them. It was just as much a reassurance for herself as it was for them. Then she could only stand there and wait as the system went into Safe Mode, and everyone within the system entered a coma-like state.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

All activity within the control room of the Tower came to a sudden halt, as every program and subroutine seemed to freeze.

"WARNING: SYSTEM ENTERING SAFE MODE. STAND BY."

For a moment there was only silence. Then there was a chorus of high-pitched tones and shrieks.

Qsa Linex herself released the loudest, shrillest, most anger-filled tone of all. It seemed to vibrate throughout the entire Tower, a burst of communication that was both telepathic and verbal at the same time. It was a call of authority, a command, that none of the programs or subroutines could disobey. She was the authority here, after all, and whenever she deemed it necessary (in an absolute crisis) her word overrode anything else that any of her subordinate programs were doing within the Tower.

The programs scurried about, making a few brief preparations as they were off-lined one by one. Qsa Linex herself had just enough time to teleport to the room which she'd assigned Starwell to stay in temporarily. The plan had been for the girl to reside within the Tower until the power supply recharged, but it seemed that wouldn't happen anytime soon.

"What's happening?" Starwell demanded fearfully. She had heard the system announcement and felt most of the cries that had echoed throughout the Tower, even if she couldn't hear most of them. She had been unreceptive to most of it due to the partial telepathic capacity, plus the sounds exceeded the pitch that her ears could comfortable pick up.

"This system is entering Safe Mode," Qsa Linex explained quickly. "The Tower is shutting down. Please, young User, you must initiate a Restart."

"A Restart?" Starwell blinked. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Perhaps Gizmo can help you. You must do this, Starwell. Otherwise, it will be impossible for you to return home unless a User outside the Net Restarts."

"But-"

Neither of them got a chance to say anything else. Safe Mode finished kicking in, and Qsa Linex's entire form drooped where she stood. Her body seemed to convulse once, going rigid, then it relaxed. She crumpled, and landed on the floor in a heap.

Starwell gave a little scream. She sat down on the edge of her bunk, hard. She could only clamp her hands over her mouth and stare in horror.

"SAFE MODE ENGAGED," the System Voice announced.

Starwell just sat there where she was for a long moment, too stunned to move. What was she supposed to do now? How did this happen?

Gizmo began to chirp, bringing her mind back to the present. She eyed the Keytool silently for a few nanos. "Yeah," she croaked, and cleared her throat. "I guess that's all we can do, right?"

She left her room cautiously, inching down the corridors. The place was empty as though it had been vacated, though she knew better. The programs who lived here wouldn't simply up and ditch the place.

Most of the corridors she went through seemed empty. Since this was the first time she attempted to navigate the Tower without Qsa Linex teleporting her around, (which was quite an honor in of itself now that she thought about it) she realized how several sections of the Tower's interior were shaped like honeycombs. Some of the ports lead to small chambers where sleeping guards resided, others led to other rooms or chambers, each of which served a different purpose. Some rooms were designed for energy dispensing for the purpose of energy consumption. Other rooms appeared to be stocked with weapons and equipment. There were a few here and there were full of consoles, wires and were attached to some hardware, obviously an integral part of regulating or managing the Tower.

If the system was not in Safe Mode, Starwell had a hunch that she wouldn't have been able to move about so freely; the guards wouldn't have been sleeping and the smaller, working subroutine programs wouldn't have been absent. Apparently she and Gizmo were the only ones unaffected by the current state the system was in.

The Keytool beeped on her arm.

"Yeah, I know," Starwell whispered. She shuddered; the way her voice echoed slightly into the vast silence was unnerving. "But is it safe out there?"

Gizmo beeped again in reply.

"Yeah… if everybody here is offline, everyone out there is too, probably." Starwell swallowed. She knew that the only way to find out would be to go outside.

"Not sure which way to go," she commented aloud.

Gizmo chirped, knowing it could help. Its surface lit up with a map of the Tower schematics, then zoomed in on the specific area they were in. Gizmo indicated a direction by lighting up a pathway for its User.

"Thanks, Gizmo," Starwell swallowed nervously. She managed a shaky smile. "I don't know what I'd do without you right now."

Gizmo was pleased by the sentiment, though it couldn't respond since it was busy serving as a guide.

It took some time to get to the Principal Office from the Tower. Starwell had been forced to rely on Gizmo to make it across the energy sea; the Keytool changed into a propeller that spun rapidly above her head. She screamed more than once during the journey, especially whenever Gizmo's altered form yanked her this way or that. Gizmo had to change direction at least twice to avoid tears or energy storms, giving the anomalies a wide berth before getting them both back on track.

Once they reached the shoreline of the city, Gizmo set Starwell down on the ground and resumed its default Keytool shape. The young User exhaled sharply as Gizmo returned to its proper place on her arm.

"I didn't think I'd say this," Starwell breathed, "but I think teleporting with Qsa Linex is a lot less scarier than that."

Gizmo beeped.

"Yeah, you got us here okay," Starwell replied, "but what if I fell?"

The Keytool squawked, offended. It would never let her fall! Even if she did fall, it would have been able to catch her!

"If you say so… look, I don't want to talk about this anymore," Starwell muttered. "Let's just go."

Gizmo made a light noise almost like a ping, and altered shape to show a glowing indicator again. Starwell pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded in acknowledgement. "Let's go," she said again, this time with a definite edge in her voice. She was nervous.

Walking through the city took some time. It was very eerie to stroll through, almost like an enormous ghost town where one could see where people were supposed to be walking, yet there was no one. Parking lots were vacant, streets were empty, there were no pedestrians walking along the sidewalks, and even some of the buildings seemed to be missing. Or at least they looked off somehow, as though their textures and format structures weren't fully up and running.

This is really, really creepy, Starwell thought as she continued to move forward. Nevertheless she kept on going, even if part of her was worried that someone or something would jump out of the shadows and pounce upon her.

It took nearly half a second to finish walking the distance to the Principal Office. Gizmo offered to change form again to give them more alacrity, but Starwell refused. She preferred to stay on her own two feet whenever possible. That was one thing that seemed familiar in this very weird environment, after all.

The Principal Office itself was a sight to behold. It was a brownish building that was round, yet diamond-shaped with a pyramid-like roof. It was adorned with colorful windows that shone like gemstones-at least they would have if the System wasn't in Safe Mode. At present the glowing features were a pale representation of their full glory.

"So… this is it?" Starwell asked aloud, squinting ahead at the elegant building. Gizmo acknowledged her with an affirmative. "Okay then… let's go." She gulped.

It took a little time to cross the bridge leading to the Principal Office, largely due to her aching legs. A small part of her was starting to wish she had taken Gizmo up on its offer of transportation.

Once she finally entered the building, Starwell groaned aloud at the sight of a long hallway. She slumped against the wall and allowed herself to slide down to the floor.

"Yeah," she muttered in response to her Keytool's concerned chirping. "I'm okay… I just really, really need to rest for a bit." And when I get out of here, she thought, I hope Uncle Frank gets to experience some of this, too, she thought begrudgingly. Then she gave her head a slight shake. Nah… I wouldn't wish this on anybody. Still, what the hell was Uncle Frank thinking when he made this possible?

She waited a little while until her breathing became normal again. Once she was certain her legs were no longer going to fall off, she pushed herself to her feet. "Okay," she huffed, "I hope we can get this over with easily."

Starwell rolled her eyes at her own comment as she walked. "Yeah, right. With my luck, it'll be hard. Either that or something's gonna happen to me when I do it."

Gizmo chimed. It would never let anything happen to her!

They proceeded through the corridors and hallways, passing many rooms until they reached an elevator. Once inside they rode the lift to the deepest level, where the System Core was located.

The center of the Core housed a large, cylinder-shaped device that extended from the ground, connecting to the ceiling above. It reminded Starwell of a warp core engine from Star Trek Voyager, only different. A few chirps from Gizmo informed her that this was the device which took raw energy from the Energy Sea and refined it. After it left this area it was regulated throughout the city.

Wow, the Tower where Qsa Linex lives must have something like this, she thought as she crept forward. After all, even an idiot could tell that the Tower was in no way connected to the main city. Or if it was, it wasn't connected through visual means.

"So what are we doing in here?" Starwell whispered. Her voice could barely be heard over the gentle thrumming of the Core, though for some reason she didn't dare speak louder. Why did she keep getting a feeling of foreboding? Was something going to happen once she finished following Linex's instructions?

Gizmo began to beep a series of instructions, simple and to the point. Starwell swallowed and approached what appeared to be a console. Her fingers hovered momentarily over a set of controls as her brow furrowed. A sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead-she then realized her palms were damp with sweat as well.

What if I end up doing something stupid? she thought, licking her lips. The thought that she could mess up the System somehow brought a mental image of Uncle Frank's angry features into mind. Her Uncle was never pleased if anyone messed with his computer. Though in a way that was the least of her worries, she supposed; what if it somehow harmed the people who lived in the System? She didn't know much about them, but she cared about Qsa Linex and her Tower.

"Let's just get this over with," Starwell whispered. She followed Gizmo's instructs to initiate a System Restart, then sat down on the floor and waited.

Everything went dark around her as things seemed to vanish, one by one. She supposed that she did not see or remember the actual moment of shut down, perhaps because she had been shut down as well. The next thing she knew, everything around her was just there, like someone had thrown a switch and turned on a very bright light.

That was when Starwell realized she wasn't alone any longer in the Core. An all-too-familiar figure stood there.

Gizmo let out a shrill hiss and Starwell gasped. "It's you!"

"That's right, User." Anna Code's boots clicked across the floor as the Guardian closed the brief distance between them. "Now you are mine to deal with as I see fit." She grabbed Starwell by the arm, causing the girl to yelp. "Which is how it should have been in the first place!"

"How did you get here so fast?" Starwell squeaked. She tried to yank her arm free of the sprite's grasp, but failed. The Guardian had an iron grip.

"Oh I've been here all along, technically," Anna informed her. "I had the system go into Safe Mode. I knew that if you were still up and running, you'd have to come here to restart the system." Anna narrowed her eyes as the corners of her lips quirked into a small, satisfied smug expression. "Looks like my gamble paid off."

Anna's fingers tightened painfully around Starwell's arm, causing the girl to flinch. The Guardian took delight in watching her squirm. How long had the Net waited for a chance like this, a chance to make a User pay for everything they had done? If Anna didn't have such a stoic resolve she would have licked her lips in anticipation.

Gizmo hissed another warning, which went ignored.

Anna gave the User a kick to the stomach. It was enough to knock the wind out of the girl and send her sprawling, yet it still wasn't as forceful as it could have been. No, the Guardian wanted to see her suffer first. What good was a quick deletion or erasure when you didn't have the opportunity to make the guilty party suffer first?

"Please… stop it!" Starwell breathed as she clutched her midsection. It hurt and she could already feel a bruise forming on her bitmap. She didn't even try to get up; she simply stared up at the Guardian with wide, fearful eyes.

"Oh but you deserve far, far worse," Anna stated with a mixture of icy hatred and sadistic satisfaction. She would never even toy with a virus like this before deleting it. The pleasure of tormenting a User, who was worse than a virus in her mind, filled her processor like a sickly sweet venom that reflected in her eyes.

Anna squatted next to the User, her features lighting up with satisfaction as the girl trembled. Starwell cried out as the Guardian hit her across the face with a loud thwack that seemed to echo throughout the silent chamber.

"Oh that is the least you deserve, User," Anna told her. She flexed her digits and glanced briefly at her hand.

That was when Anna realized something. No amount of hitting, kicking or taunting the User was going to erase the pain, grief and anger that existed within her. Apparently all of those terrible experiences from her past would always remain a permanent fixture inside her.

This realization did not make her want the User deleted or erased any less, it simply put things into a new perspective. Making this or any other User suffer would never undo what had been done or make anything any easier to bear.

Anna slowly drew her weapon from its holster. She contemplated the girl before her as she manually set the gun to full deletion. I've never tortured before, the Guardian thought with some shock at the realization. I would have thought such a thing was against my Guardian Code, but… perhaps this is simply what I am deep in the heart of my coding. I require my own vengeance.

She narrowed her eyes. I require personal satisfaction. I need to do this myself. "Any last words, User?" Anna aimed the gun at Starwell's forehead.

Starwell's eyes flew wide. "Please, please don't hurt me!" she begged. She whimpered and drew her legs close, huddling where she lay. "I didn't do anything to you!"

"Oh yes you have," Anna stated. "You and your kind have done so much. Your very presence in the Net is a grave insult, especially since you radiate such ignorance." The Guardian bared her teeth, appearing almost feral as her finger tightened slightly around the trigger. "You really have no idea, do you? Are we really that small to you? That insignificant?"

"I-I don't know what you mean!"

"Did you know about us or the harm you've caused before you came into the Net?" Anna shouted, her armed hand wavering somewhat.

"No, I didn't know there were any people inside my Uncle's computer! I swear! I don't even know how you've been hurt!"

For a brief instant it almost seemed that Anna might lower her gun. "So you really did not know what your kind does to us," the Guardian said slowly. "I suppose that changes things a little… when I execute a virus, they know exactly what they are and what they have done. But you…?"

Anna shook her head firmly and pointed her weapon at the girl's chest. "Ignorance is no excuse," she hissed. "You are a threat to my system and you must answer for the horrors that your kind has inflicted upon the Net."

"No, please!" Starwell raised her hands in front of her face.

"Too bad I can't do this inside a game, User. It would be so much more satisfying." With that, Anna pulled the trigger.

However, the bullet never hit its mark. What happened next happened very quickly.

Starwell's energy-curdling scream was cut off as Gizmo created a shield between its User and the incoming bullet. As a result, the weapon's discharge rebounded and struck a nearby object, forming a fresh tear. The tear floated above the ground, moving in the direction of Starwell.

Gizmo acted. Energy shot out from the Keytool and it formed a portal. Starwell shrieked as the Guardian whirled on her, barking a command at Cappaten, but the User-Sprite never witnessed the result of whatever Anna uttered. Starwell tripped over her own feet as she made haste, intending to duck behind the strange floating orb, believing it to be something solid.

It wasn't. She literally fell into it as a narrow beam of energy sailed past her, missing her form by centimeters. She was barely through the portal before it vanished.

Anna Code swore so vehemently it might have made a virus blush. "Cappaten!" she barked, "scan the system. Tell me where that portal lead."

Cappaten got busy and then clicked and chirped a few times.

Anna blinked and her jaw dropped so low it nearly fell off its hinges. "You have got to be fragging kidding me! The User has left the system?!"


	17. Chapter 17

"She will be safer out there, no doubt."

The Guardian turned sharply to see none other than Zettabyte approaching. The Command Dot Com folded her arms and regarded the younger sprite with a severe expression.

"I did what was necessary," Anna began, but the older sprite cut her off.

"Did you?" Zettabyte's tone had a rare edge. She was normally soft-spoken and gentle even at the worst of times, but now her words sliced through the air like a double-edged sword from a conquest game. "We had an opportunity to learn about things from beyond the Net, and now that chance is gone."

"We have been over this!" Anna thundered with such ferocity that even Zettabyte blinked and took a step back. "I did what I had to. Since no one else in this system will respond to this threat, I must!"

"Then what do you propose we do? Destroy the Tower and all of the people who live within it?" Zettabyte asked coolly.

Anna opened her mouth and closed it quickly. "I will do whatever is necessary." She clenched her hands at her sides.

Zettabyte's hand stretched out and took Anna's chin, forcing the younger sprite to look at her. "You will answer me directly, Anna. Do you plan to attack the Tower?"

Anna jerked her head just enough to move out of Zettabyte's grasp. "I already know you won't give me command of the CPU forces, so… no." Anna sighed. "It would be foolhardy anyway, especially since we don't know anything about the Queen who lives there or how well that Tower is defended."

"It is good to hear that you are willing to see reason," Zettabyte said with relief, giving a small nod. "But I know you too well, Anna. You will not simply let this go, not when it is a matter that effects you so personally."

The two sprites regarded each other in silence.

"Your silence says much," Zettabyte finally said.

"Look," Anna said, her tone deadly, "I am going to find where that User went. She may have left this system, but she is still a threat to the Net."

"So you aren't going to let this go."

"No I won't. I wouldn't let this go any more than I would ignore another Supervirus."

Zettabyte sighed. "It will be difficult for you to track her down," she pointed out in an attempt to make the Guardian see reason. "I suggest that you attend to your regular duties within this system for now."

"Fine," Anna said. "But know this. Once I find a lead, and you know I will, I'm going User-hunting." With that the Guardian brushed past the grandmotherly sprite and marched toward the lift.

"Be sure to speak with George at some point," Zettabyte called to her. "We are all worried about you, Anna," she added in a softer tone.

Anna had just enough time to glance in Zettabyte's direction before the elevator doors clicked shut.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Being stranded out in the middle of Cyberspace was an… odd feeling at best. The sensation was like being weightless and drifting aimlessly, yet it was also like being weighed down in normal gravity.

She tried flailing her arms about, unsure what to do. It was the most bizarre feeling. "What's happening to me?" she uttered aloud. "Where am I?"

The Keytool on her arm beeped and chirped a few times. "Outside my Uncle's system?" Her heart skipped a beat. "How the hell did we get out here?!"

More clicks and whirs.

"A portal? What is-never mind, that's not important now. What am I supposed to do now? I can't move!" Starwell moved her arms and legs and a swimming motion, but that proved to do little good. The best she could do was continue drifting aimlessly in the direction she was already going.

Gizmo made a plaintive sound, the Keytool equivalent of shrugging perhaps.

"HELP!" Starwell screamed at the top of her lungs. "IS ANYBODY OUT THERE? HELP ME, PLEASE!"

Without anything else to do, she continued to scream and yell until she was almost hoarse. She only stopped when her throat started to get sore, and she abandoned the attempt to get someone's attention when she realized it wasn't working.

There appeared to be no one out there.

"Gizmo," Starwell whispered, bringing her arm closer to her face, "please tell me there is something you can do. Please."

Gizmo whirred, as though it had been just waiting to be asked. It changed shape on her arm into something that could produce a signal. A light began to flash as a message that Starwell didn't understand was broadcast repeatedly.

"What is that?" Starwell wondered aloud as she stared. Gizmo made no reply; it was currently busy sending out a long-range distress call.

The nanos passed by almost painfully. Starwell had no idea how long the time passed by. She became more and more restless, hopeless, tired and hungry as more time dragged by.

"Gizmo," she finally hissed, "stop it. Please just stop it, I'm tired of hearing that noise!"

Gizmo ignored her; it continued to broadcast the signal, stubbornly refusing to give up. Starwell opened her mouth to snap at it again, but stopped herself. Perhaps the constant humming and chiming was simply getting on her nerves, since it was the only sound in this vast expanse that she had heard for… how long had it been again? There was no way of knowing.

She was just about to abandon all hope when another sound filled the expanse. It seemed so foreign and out of place out here that it took her a moment to figure out what it was.

The Keytool chirped in delight as its scanner detected visual confirmation on what it and Starwell heard.

"What?" Starwell asked, her eyes darting around. "There's a vehicle coming? Out here?"

Gizmo chirped affirmative.

The sound of a growling engine grew louder and louder as something finally came into Starwell's view. It appeared to be a sprite riding on something that looked like a flying, futuristic motor-bike from some kind of science fiction movie.

The green and gold colored vehicle pulled up smoothly alongside Starwell's drifting form. The rider had short, electric blue hair and a large pair of sunglasses, as well as a silver earring in one earlobe. His face was clean-shaven except for a small stubble on the very front of his chin. He wore a pair of snug-fitting black pants and a leathery vest over a sleeveless, ivory-colored shirt that had a series of 1's and 0's on the front and the back.

The message on the front of shirt was written in standard Net-speak, which translated as "If you want to know how to keep an idiot busy, look on the back." The back of the shirt likewise read, "If you want to know how to keep an idiot busy, look at the front."

Starwell was too frazzled to be amused; she barely paid any attention to it. Gizmo, however, let out a Keytool chuckle.

"Well, well, now," the Biker sprite said, leaning forward with one elbow on his knee. "You lost in the Net, Babe?"

"Uh… yeah, you could say that," Starwell said with a meek nod. Every single warning she'd ever learned about "stranger danger" and not accepting rides from someone you didn't know came flooding back to her mind. But still… did she have any choice? She couldn't very well stay where she was, and if she waited for someone else she might be waiting forever.

"Then I'm glad I chose this second to cruise around between systems." He placed one gloved hand firmly on his bike as he extended his other hand to her, supporting himself. "Come on, Babe. I won't bite." He grinned.

Starwell hesitated, then grasped his hand with some reluctance. He pulled her up into the seat just behind him, where she dug into the sides of the bike with her knees and cautiously grasped his shoulders. Her muscles went rigid; she disliked being so close to a complete stranger, even if he was helping her.

"Hang on!" he grinned, as they began to speed off through Cyberspace. "By the way, what's yer name?"

"Uh, Alpha Starwell."

"Oh, you're an Alpha sprite? Cool. My name is Kevin."

"Nice to meet you, Kevin," Starwell acknowledged with a weak smile. "And thanks for picking me up."

"Not a problem! We'll be in my system soon."

He squeezed the handle-bars, twisting the throttle. The bike engine roared and increased speed.

0o0o0o0o0

Some time later they arrived in a system that Kevin proudly introduced as System Lunar Codex, sometimes affectionately referred to as Eclipse. It had three cities positioned parallel to each other and each one appeared to have a moon-like appearance.  
This system didn't have the charming blend of "Grandma's Home Town" and your typical city that Uncle Frank's System seemed to have. Nor did this place look anything like the interior of Qsa Linex's Tower.

It simply confirmed that apparently every system was different and unique throughout the Net, even if they might have some similarities.

Kevin revved his engine and took them deeper into the first city, the one which he apparently considered home. The alien appearance of the city was both eerie and fascinating; the ground was sort of a dusty silver in color and many of the buildings were dome-shaped. To enhance the moon-like appearance, the Principal Office in the center of the city looked just like a groundside space station, complete with a pair of satellites mounted on top and even a tall, needle-like antenna protruding from the center.

Upon closer examination the antenna seemed to extend some distance into the sky, glimmering and flashing as an electrical current flowed vertically, up and down.

"What does that do?" Starwell asked, pointing a finger toward the impressive antenna.

"Oh, that?" Kevin shrugged. "That just keeps the Principal Offices from all three cities connected."

"You mean, like, for communication?"

"Yeah, sorta. The upgrade has only been around for eight minutes or so, but it totally crashes!" Kevin glanced over his shoulder to peer at her, lifting his sunglasses off of his nose. "Not literally, of course, but you know what I mean." He bobbed his eyebrows and put his shades back on.

Having heard plenty of colorful terminology from her own school, Starwell could take a good guess what he meant. Probably means its really cool, or psyched or something, she thought.

"That's nice," Starwell said. Had this been a normal trip she was taking with her parents or especially an outing with her classmates and teacher from school, she would have been asking a lot more questions. In this case though she just wanted to find someplace to go, catch her breath and hopefully process everything that was happening to her.

Then perhaps she could figure out how to get back to her Uncle's System, and return to her own world before anyone was the wiser.

"So, where are we going?" Starwell finally asked.

"Oh, I'm taking ya to meet my buddies," Kevin grinned. "Not much further, Babe."

"Please stop calling me that."

"Okay, Toots." Gold teeth contrasted pearly white ones as the biker's grin widened. Starwell rolled her eyes.  
It wasn't long before they arrived at an area on the edge of the city that appeared a bit… different. It seemed a little more run-down, plus the style of the buildings and roadways looked rustic in comparison to the more futuristic, sci-fi appearance of the rest of the city.

This area actually contained buildings made of brick and stone with concrete foundations, plus there were a few homes made of wood. Many of the wooden ones appeared on the verge of collapsing in on themselves, however.

"Where are we?" Starwell asked, blinking at the sight before her. Everything she had seen in the Net so far was weird and alien, but right now she felt like she'd stepped back in time. "Is this an old ghost town or something?"

"Nah," Kevin shook his head as he parked the bike alongside a sidewalk and powered down the engine. "This is all that's left after a major System Upgrade that happened a couple hours ago. Ever since then everything's been enhanced. They say a wave of the future hit us, thanks to the User."

"Oh yeah?" Starwell carefully climbed off of the bike after him, relieved to set foot on solid ground again. "So how come this area wasn't upgraded, too?"

Kevin shrugged. "No idea. Maybe the upgrade software didn't work for some reason. Or maybe the User didn't see it as worthy, I sure don't know. Either way, me and my buddies took over this area because nobody wanted it."

"Well, it does look kinda… run-down, you know."

"Only some of it. We've fixed up what we need just fine, you just gotta go further in." Kevin gestured her to follow as he began to walk down the sidewalk.

Starwell stared after him for a moment, then eyed Gizmo as she began to follow-not too closely. "How come you don't live in one of the upgraded areas?" she asked.

Kevin shrugged. "We like it here," he said simply. "It'll probably continue to degrade over time, especially since it's not part of the main Upgrade. But we'll keep it functional for as long as we need it."

They rounded a corner and walked down another block until they reached a street that did look a lot less run-down. There were a few cracks in the pavement and some of the buildings were defaced with graffiti, but otherwise the area looked to be in good shape. Closer examination revealed a few small places where brick had crumbled and wood had been splintered, though it was hard to tell if that was due to vandalism or simply degradation.

"Ah, looks like my pals are here," Kevin said in satisfaction as he made a beeline toward a building at the end of the street. Starwell continued to follow, albeit cautiously.

Kevin lead the way into a place that had two floors. The ground level was a complete mess, covered in dust particles and cob webs. A couple of floor boards were missing here and a portion of the floor was cracked over there. Garbage littered the area and one of the front windows was cracked.

Obviously this was an example of degradation in progress, and it was being ignored on this floor at least. Kevin walked right past all of it and headed for the stairs like it was nothing.

"How come you guys didn't clean up better?" Starwell asked as she stepped over a smelly pile of refuse with disgust. She made a face when her heel squished against something else.

"Cuz our base of operations is upstairs, Toots," Kevin replied as if it was obvious. "Besides, it's part of our security." He paused halfway up the stairs and looked down at her. "If you came in here and saw this, wouldn't you think the place was abandoned?"

"Yeah I suppose," Starwell acknowledged. "But why wouldn't you want anyone to know you're here? Is it illegal?"

"Let's just say we've got plans, Toots. Big, big plans." He gestured her to follow. "Come on, the guys are waiting."

Starwell placed a tentative foot on the bottom-most step. "Stop calling me that!" she said indignantly.

"Fine. What do ya want me to call you?"

"How about my name?"

"You're no fun, Babe-Starwell. Come on." Kevin turned and proceeded the rest of the way of the stairs. He vanished into a room just behind the top of the staircase.

"Why do I get a funny feeling about this," Starwell murmured under her breath.

Gizmo beeped its own opinion. It had no idea what was going on but it offered a warning to be cautious. "Can you tell how many are in that room?" she whispered. The Keytool chimed. "Whoa, that's a lot," Starwell breathed. "And I bet they're all bigger than me."

Gizmo's reply didn't make her feel any better.

"You know… I'm grateful to Kevin and all, but I don't like the smell of this." Starwell wrinkled her nose. "And I'm not just talking about the dirty garbage."

On her arm, the Keytool urged her to go with her gut. "Yeah, I think we should get out of here." She turned away from the staircase and walked toward the door, grimacing as the floor creaked beneath her feet. This was ten times worse than when she snuck into her Uncle's office to snoop around his computer…

"Hey!" A sudden shout nearly made her jump out of her bitmap. "Where are you going, girl?"


	18. Chapter 18

Starwell turned to look at the top of the stairs. Kevin was looking at her, and he had two large, burly sprites behind him. One of them had long hair that was almost waist-length, the other was bald with so many tattoos and piercings it was difficult to tell his natural skin color.

"I just need to… go out, I think I dropped something," she said, already opening the door.

"Starwell, kid, you owe me. You know that."

She set one foot outside the door, then hesitated. She heard low murmurings and whispers above her, though the only distinct thing she heard was Kevin's voice saying, "Let me handle it… don't want to scare her off." The word "Keytool" also reached her ears among low whispers, giving Starwell the vibe that it was a matter of interest as well as concern.

"Look, kid," Kevin said as he slowly came down the stairs, "we all know you're a Guardian-in-training or something, ya must be. We figure you tangoed with a Virus or something and got lost in the Net… is that about right?"

"Uh…" Starwell wasn't quite sure what to say to that. It was evident that these people had formulated their own theory on what happened to her and their own opinion of who and what she was. "I guess, pretty much," she finally said with a shrug. Somehow she figured it might make matters worse if she revealed she was a User.

"Here's the deal," Kevin said as he slowly came toward her, stopping at a respectful distance. He slowly spread his arms in a peaceful gesture. "You use your Keytool there to help us with one little favor, and… we'll let you join our ranks as an honorary member of the Lunar Gang."

"You're part of a gang?" Starwell blinked. "Somehow I should have figured. I mean, you look like a biker, straight out of a movie."

"In this city, it wouldn't be healthy to get on our bad side, Starwell," Kevin warned with a stern look. He folded his arms across his chest. "I've got the biggest and baddest sprites from all three cities working with me. Some of them are even ex-convicts from other Systems, whom I recruited to my cause."

"Is that why you were out in the Net? You're recruiting?" Starwell blinked.

"I don't see how you have any reason to complain," Kevin said. "You were stranded out there yourself. Seems to me like you don't even know how to take advantage of your Keytool's power and abilities. But there are many things I can teach ya, just stick with us." He smiled.

"So you want me to use Gizmo's power… to do what, exactly?" Starwell swallowed.

"Form a portal to get us into this city's Principal Office," Kevin answered. "Then we'll take over this city by force and run it the way it should be run." He threw his fist into the air for emphasis, earning a couple of cheers and hoots from the men upstairs. A few more of them had wandered out of their room and stood together at the top of the stairs.

A couple of the burly sprites started to come down the stairs, causing Starwell's eyes to widen nervously. A stern glance from Kevin stopped them; they sat down on the steps, grumbling under their breath.

"You want my help to conquer this System?" Starwell finally said. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Come on, conquer is such an unfortunate lingo," Kevin said. "I'd rather say that you'll be helping us change management. Together, we'll reshape this city into what it could be."

"You want the city to be like it used to be, with these old-style houses and buildings?" Starwell asked.

Kevin shook his head. "No, don't be so Basic, kid. We used this place because nobody would bother to look closely at it. This place is old news, degraded, abandoned. It's where we could make our plans. Process now?"

"Oh." Starwell licked her lips.

"So," Kevin went on, "we've been gathering resources."

"What kind of resources?"

"Anything we need to take over."

"You mean weapons?" Starwell's eyes widened.

"Among other things," Kevin nodded.

"How did you get weapons?"

"Best not to ask questions," Kevin replied simply. "Look, kid, we're ready to proceed with or without you. But I'm warning you, I can't let you get in our way. If you choose to stay with us, you will have a place of power among us as long as you and your Keytool do whatever I say. You'll just have to go against your Guardian programming… which is difficult, but I know it's possible."

Before Starwell could say anything, Kevin reached under his leather jacket and removed something from his abdomen. It was his Icon. "At one time," he said, "this used to be black and gold, the color of a Guardian Icon."

Starwell leaned forward slightly to peer at it. She vaguely remembered the Icon on Anna Code, at least she was sure she had glimpsed it. Though looking at the female Guardian's bitmap hadn't been a priority, considering Anna was usually trying to kill her. "Yours is red and black," Starwell observed.

Kevin nodded and placed his hand under the flap of his jacket to put the Icon back. For some reason it seemed that he liked to keep it out of view. "I'm what ya might call a rebel," he said. "I was once a Guardian, but no longer."

"What made you decide to stop being one?"

Kevin shrugged his shoulders. "In some cases, the best way to protect your home is to take it over."

"I… still don't get it."

"You give people too much freedom, they'll take advantage of that freedom. We have to crack down and make this System more secure." Kevin slammed his fist against his palm. "Once I have complete control of this city I will crack down on crime, I will disconnect the system from the internet to prevent viruses and Spyware from coming in, and I will require everyone to pay… ah, protection fees."

The more Starwell heard about all of this, the less she liked it. Gizmo clicked softly on her arm, agreeing with her thoughts. "You're nothing but a thug!" she exclaimed. "You got a bunch of criminals together so you can take over this city by force?!"

"Sometimes," Kevin explained, "you have to take action through force. If you try to do things the diplomatic way you'll get nowhere. Change is necessary for us to grow, to evolve. Most of the city is so much more advanced than this run-down area because of a significant upgrade. But," he held up his index finger, "you don't get change by standing around talking."

"So most of this city was upgraded by… what, upgrades from the Internet?" Starwell asked.

"Yes, downloaded by the User to make our lives better."

"Well if you cut this place off from the Internet, how will you get more upgrades in the future?" Starwell pointed out. "I mean, come on! Some of those upgrades help protect against intrusions, like virus Trojans."

A collective murmur was exchanged between the sprites who sat on the stairs.

"Very good thinking, young Guardian," Kevin nodded in approval. "Obviously you progressed well in your knowledge of System Threats one-point-one. Anyway I have an answer for you; Upgrades will be downloaded at regular intervals, but only by my word. Each online connection will be scheduled and monitored very closely."

"Look I don't like the sound of this," Starwell said. "It just doesn't feel right."

"Are you refusing?" Kevin's eyes narrowed. As if on cue, a couple of the burly sprites came the rest of the way down the stairs to stand on either side of their leader. The bald one with the tattoos and piercings cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"I, uh…" Starwell stammered.

"Come now, Starwell," Kevin tempted. "Think about this carefully. One, it would not be smart to get on my bad side. Two, if you work with me you will have a place of power at my side."

Starwell blanched. "I…" She took another step back. "No!" She turned and ran out the door, then tried to run faster as she heard shouts and thudding footfalls behind her.

Before she realized what was happening, something struck her between the shoulder blades. She sprawled on the ground, her forehead slamming against the pavement. It was enough to rattle her brains and it caused her vision to swim.

Gizmo shrieked and hissed, kicking up quite a fuss especially as Kevin and one of his goons grabbed Starwell by the ankles and dragged her back inside. Starwell squeezed her eyes shut as her form was hauled across the filthy floor. She tried to lift her face out of the dirt, spitting out some refuse that smeared across her lips and chin.

Flanked by two of his sprites, Kevin lifted Starwell off the floor and set her down roughly in a chair. He placed his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes.

"This is your final chance, girl," he said. "Either swear loyalty to me and my cause, or I'll delete you here and now."

Starwell trembled, terrified. Obviously she was in way over her head here. But what could she do? If she refused these people were going to beat her up… or worse. She didn't know how deletion applied to someone like her, but… she was technically a program right now, wasn't she?

Was she going to be threatened in any System she went to?

Kevin seemed to take her silence as an answer. "What a pity," he sighed as he released her. At his gesture, one of the goons approached her and grabbed her arms roughly, restraining her.

"Now," Kevin said, "let's see how your Keytool takes to me." He snatched Gizmo off of Starwell's arm, ignoring her indignant grunt as she struggled.

"Hey, he's mine!" Starwell snapped.

Gizmo let out a deadly hiss.

"Oh come now, your little Guardian there is going to be deleted shortly anyway," Kevin told the Keytool. "Might as well just transfer yourself over to me." With that, he gripped it firmly and set it down on his left arm.

At least, he tried to.

Gizmo refused to nestle in. At best, the Keytool slid against the bitmap of Kevin's arm. Contact between them was almost like magnets with reversed polarity trying to touch; they repelled each other.

Kevin gritted his teeth. He disliked rejection, something which he had been slapped in the face with twice now.

The insult was compounded when Gizmo altered its shape into something that looked like a long, electrical needle.

"What in the Net-?" Kevin could only stare. Starwell had given no command and he had never heard of a Keytool acting on its own before.

The gang leader then cried out as the pointed tip jabbed itself into his forearm. Pain rippled through his arm, followed by a sharp electrical jolt as Gizmo discharged a current through his form-reverse polarity, causing quite a shock to the rebel Guardian's body.

Kevin crumpled where he stood, and collapsed in a heap. Gizmo's altered form hovered for a moment, then advanced toward the thug who restrained Starwell. The burly, bald sprite stared uncertainly. He glanced toward his companions, most of whom had backed away.

This Keytool was random, perhaps even chaotic, at least in their minds. Surprise, uncertainty, even fear emanated from the burly sprites. They hadn't expected this kind of resistance; one might have thought they had a sentient bomb in their presence from the way they were acting.

The electric needle moved closer to the bald thug. An electrical current flowed smoothly along its form as it inched forward, threateningly.

"Okay, okay!" The thug holding Starwell let go of her and moved away, holding his hands in the air. Starwell immediately sprang from the chair and headed for the door.

Gizmo waited until she was outside, then it altered shape and released a powerful burst of energy that rendered everyone in its target range temporarily offline. Then, with a little Keytool laugh of triumph, Gizmo sped out the door and caught up with Starwell, attaching itself to her arm.

"I hate the Net," Starwell growled under her breath as she ran. "I hate it, I hate it, I hate it."

Gizmo chirped empathically. So far, it had to agree that their experiences in the Net had been less than stellar.

Starwell continued to run for a while. Just when she felt her lungs were going to explode or her legs were going to fall off, she made it out of the old-style territory and into the heart of the upgraded city.

She practically fell on her hands and knees as she doubled over, her entire form heaving as she panted so rapidly she nearly hyperventilated. She had no idea how long she stayed there, just that she was starting to regain control of her breathing when something tapped her on the shoulder.

Starwell flinched, and glanced up with widened eyes. What she saw was a sprite with raven-colored hair styled so that it flowed looked a silky mane, barely gracing her shoulders. Her skin color was pale orange and she wore a simple black outfit.

"Hey, are you alright?" the stranger asked. "You look like you've been through the Recycling Bin."

It took Starwell a nano or two to find her voice. "I… need help," she finally gasped.

"Come on, my house is just around the corner," the sprite said, extending her hand to Starwell.

Starwell hesitated. Still, what did she have to lose? She had to take some chances or she would never get anywhere. Besides, she was confident that Gizmo could protect her, as it had before.

Plus this sprite gave off a friendly vibe, unlike the gangsters.

Starwell placed her hand into that of the stranger, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.

"Come on," the woman said, "it's not far." She put an arm around Starwell's shoulders and led the way.

After a little while, Starwell found herself seated on a soft couch textured with a beautiful, reddish brown upholstery. The living room was spacious and sparsely decorated, containing a coffee table and a viewing monitor built into the opposite wall. At the moment, the monitor was off.

A few pictures hung on the walls throughout the room, probably portraits of family-and pets, judging from the pictures of a cat and a dog.

"My name is Karen Wireless," the friendly sprite introduced herself as she served some hot chocolate. "What's your name, kiddo?"

Starwell wrapped her hands around the warm mug as Karen sat on the opposite end of the couch with her own beverage. The User-sprite took a tentative sip. It kind of tasted like chocolate, but it had a distinct electrical tang to it. Nevertheless, it was sweet.

"Alpha Starwell," the girl answered, licking her lips.

"Starwell," Karen gave a little nod. "Alpha testing? That might explain why you don't have an Icon anywhere on you, but…"

"But what?" Starwell asked warily.

"You have a Keytool… I've never heard of an Alpha sprite having a Keytool, unless you're a Guardian?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Starwell took a long sip from her mug.

"Fair enough," Karen shrugged. "Look kiddo, I don't need to know everything about your personal history, but you looked like you needed help out there. Is there anything I can do?"

Starwell remained silent for a few nanos, draining the rest of her beverage. "Well," she finally said, "there is something you should do."

"Like what?"

"Contact whoever's in charge. Someone's planning to attack the Principal Office."

Karen's eyebrows shot up. She leaned closer, concern written on her features. "An attack? Lead by whom?"

"His name is Kevin…"

Karen was on her feet instantly. "Come on," she said in an urgent tone.

"Uh… where?"

"We're gonna get you cleaned up, hon. Then I'm taking you to my father."

"Your father? Why?"

"He's the chief of police in this city, that's why! Works for the Command Dot Com himself."

"Oh…" Starwell gulped.

"Come on!" Karen pulled the girl to her feet. "Let's get you washed up, you look like a mess."


	19. Chapter 19

Karen vanished into the bathroom and returned with a wet cloth. Starwell assumed it had been dampened with warm water, though she didn't have time to think about it much. Once she wiped off her face and hands, Karen provided a towel and allowed Starwell to dry off.

"My car is just outside," Karen said, already leading the way.

The drive to the Principal Office didn't take long. Once they arrived, Karen practically jumped out of the vehicle and dragged Starwell with her, causing the girl to stumble along after her to keep up.

Karen lead them past the receptionist, causing the red-skinned, smooth-haired sprite to call after them in protest. "I am going to see my father!" Karen simply told the receptionist, shutting her up. Within reason Karen could come and go as she pleased, even to the point of interrupting important meetings… so long as Karen had a legitimate reason to barge in.

Right now Karen was all business and her body language communicated urgency. Several sprites and binomes gave her a wide berth in the hall, allowing her to pass with Starwell. Karen ignored the curious glances and the whispers as they went.

Finally they reached the police chief's office where Karen barged right in through the door. Several heads snapped up upon their entry as all chatter ceased; evidently, there had been a meeting going on.

"What is the meaning of this?" the chief of police barked, then his expression softened once he recognized his daughter. The family resemblance between them was unmistakable; they had the same raven black hair (though the chief's was far shorter) and the same chocolate-brown eyes. The chief wore an official uniform of dark blue with red and green markings.

"Sir," Karen acknowledged formally. She avoided referring to him as Father or Dad while he was on duty. "I have brought you a witness who can attest to Kevin's schemes of conquest within this city."

Now the police chief looked very interested. "Everyone," he said, "this meeting is adjourned for now; we will speak again tomorrow."

There were a couple of grumbles and a few murmurs of curiosity and concern, but no one argued. Everyone except the chief, Karen and Starwell quickly filed out.

"Shut the door," the chief told his daughter, "and lock it."

Karen nodded and did as she was told.

"Now," the chief folded his hands atop his desk, "what is your name?" He nodded at one of the seats across from him.

Starwell glanced toward Karen uncertainly; the raven-haired sprite re-assured her with a smile and a nod. Starwell slowly sank down into the chair. "I'm Alpha Starwell," she said.

"Alpha Starwell," the chief nodded to himself. "I am Jack Wireless, Chief of the city police. Now…" His eyes scanned her bitmap more closely. "Did you lose your Icon?"

"Dad," Karen interjected, permitting herself a little familial familiarity now that the other officers were gone, "I think she's a alpha-testing sprite, possibly a Guardian. I don't think she wants to talk about it."

Chief Wireless frowned. It was his job to be concerned, perhaps even a tad suspicious. "Starwell," he said, "did Kevin and his gang harm you?" That might explain why the girl seemed frightened.

"They… banged me up a little. But I'm okay."

"I see you have a Keytool," the Chief said, eyeing the device on her arm. "I must say I have never seen one before."

"Yeah… he saved my life." Starwell placed a gentle, affectionate hand on it. Gizmo almost seemed to purr.

"I don't know much about Guardians or their Keytools," the Chief said, "but I know they do not choose their partners lightly. You have been bestowed a great honor, girl, and I trust you will never take it for granted."

Off in the corner of the office, Karen rolled her eyes. It seemed that her father could never resist giving fatherly advice to anyone younger than him, especially young sprites who seemed unsure of themselves.

One thing was for sure; it meant Chief Wireless liked the girl.

"Yes, sir," was all that Starwell could think to say.

"Now then," the Chief cleared his throat, "I need you to tell me everything."

Over the next several nanos, Starwell did her best to recount everything that had happened, starting with how Kevin picked her up after being lost in the Net. She kept the details pertaining to what happened in her Uncle's System and how she ended up stranded in Cyberspace very vague, and the Chief didn't press much. He seemed more interested in anything pertaining to his own system anyway.

The Chief listened to her entire tale and then had her repeat portions of it again, clarifying sections of her recap with a few questions. This helped him to understand it better and it seemed to confirm that the girl was telling the truth, especially since she stuck to her story and there were no slips of the tongue to be found.

Finally, Chief Wireless nodded and seemed satisfied. "Very good," he said. "I am going to place you under protective custody until these matters are dealt with."

"Uh, what does that mean?" Starwell asked.

"I means you'll probably stay here, under guard," Karen supplied.

"But I can't!" Starwell stood. "I have to get back home!"

"I cannot have you going anywhere in this system, not until Kevin and his men are dealt with," Chief Wireless said sternly. Then his craggy features softened somewhat. "I'm sorry."

"You mentioned you're not from this System," Karen said slowly, then turned to the older sprite. "Dad, what if she left Lunar Codex? I doubt Kevin would be dumb enough to go after her, especially if we send her somewhere safe."

Chief Wireless pursed his lips briefly in thought. "I suppose," he said with a little shrug. "Come to think of it, the Saucy Mare is currently docked with our city. Captain Capacitor is finishing up his business even as we speak. Starwell, if you hurry they might let you book passage with them at least to the next System. You might find help there."

"Uh, okay," Starwell acknowledged slowly. "I just hope whoever's there is… you know, as friendly as you guys are."

"Don't worry, kiddo," Karen told her with a smile. "I'm sure a lot of Systems have their Kevin's, but they also have their Chief Wireless's."

"And their Karen's," her father said with a slight wink.

"I learned from the best, Dad."

A brief, affectionate glance exchanged between father and daughter. Then both of them were all business again.

"Come with me," the Chief said to Starwell, rising. "This city owes you a debt of gratitude for what you have uncovered. I will personally arrange passage for you onboard the Saucy Mare."

"Okay." With that, Starwell followed the police chief out of the office.

0o0o0o0o

When they arrived at the docks, Starwell found herself gazing upon what was probably the last thing she'd been expected. The Saucy Mare looked like a mighty ship from a pirate movie.

And then there was the crew, all of whom looked like pirates and spoke with piratey accents. It made the girl wonder, once again, what in the world she was getting herself into.

"Ahoy there!" a large binome with a hook for a hand acknowledged as he came down the ramp toward them. He was every bit the stereotypical pirate, complete with an earring and a wooden leg that forced him to limp. The large, almost bulky hat he wore upon his head made it obvious he was the captain. "Tis good to see ye, laddie. It has been a long time, Jack!"

"Too long, Gavin," the Chief acknowledged with a smile. "But you know how busy I am here, especially since I have to coordinate with the police chiefs in the other cities."

"Aye, that would keep anyone busy," the Crimson binome said. "Now who be this fair lass you have with ye?" His single eye narrowed as he examined her. "A Guardian?"

"It would seem so." The Chief leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Don't ask her too many questions, though. I don't think she wants to talk about her past much."

"Ah, alright then," the pirate captain agreed with a slight shrug.

"I'm prepared to transfer funds for her safe passage to the next system," Jack Wireless said. "Just keep her safe, and make sure she arrives in one piece."

"That I can do, good chap. Once we wrap up things here, we be headin' to Mainframe. The city there is full of good people who will help the young lass." Captain Capacitor peered at her again. "What be your name, sweetheart?"

"Alpha Starwell." Starwell sighed. Funnily enough, she had repeated that name so many times it was starting to feel more like her real name than Hannah Forbes.

"Alpha…?" A look from the police chief discouraged the pirate from pursing that train of thought. "Well," Capacitor said, "whatever ye format may be is no concern to me or my crew. If the Chief says ye are to have safe passage, ye shall have it."

"Thanks," was all Starwell said.

"I am Captain Capacitor, at your service." He gave a little flourish, then turned and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Mr. Christopher!" the captain bellowed, "We have a passenger going to Mainframe with us. Enter it into the log!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!" the spherical-shaped binome called from above, peering over the side of the ship for a moment. Christopher eyed the young female sprite as if mentally cataloging her appearance, then went back to what he was doing.

"Go on aboard, Miss Starwell," Capacitor urged the girl. "Chief Wireless and I will discuss payment, then we will be on our way."

Starwell nodded and proceeded slowly up the ramp, somewhat nervously. The more she tried to run everything that happened to her through her mind, the less sense it made. This entire adventure was becoming crazier and crazier, like something out of Alice and Wonderland.

She completed her ascent onto the ship and then did her best to stay out of the way as binomes moved about, organizing and inventorying their cargo. A couple of them were cleaning the deck with mops and buckets containing a soapy substance.

Starwell nearly jumped out of her bitmap when she saw an enormous binome appear out of nowhere, larger and bulkier than most sprites she'd seen.

The seemingly female giant stared down at her. They regarded each other for a long moment.

"Pretty little sprite girl," the binome finally said, giving Starwell a pat on the head.

Starwell flinched and backed up a couple of steps. "Uh… hi," she said uncertainly. "I'm Starwell." She ran a hand over her head to smooth her ruffled hair, but found that not a strand was out of place. She would later learn that her sprite format was programmed to have a specific hairstyle, one that would remain in the same shape even if she went through a data storm.

"I Princess Bula," the giant said.

"Princess? You're a real princess?" Starwell blinked. "From where?"

"From system far, far away," Bula answered, speaking in broken Net-standard. "System of big binomes, giant sprites." She frowned and hung her head, as if a little sad. "I considered small compared to them. I leave, travel with pirates." She tapped her chest. "I am Pirate, now!"

"Uh… wow," Starwell said, not quite sure what to make of that tale. "Sounds interesting."

"Make yourself at home. Bula must get back to work." With that, the Princess wandered off. The deck plating seemed to shake slightly under her heavy footsteps as she moved.

"Well Gizmo," Starwell breathed as she moved to a corner out of the way and sat down, "one thing's for sure… the Net just gets weirder and weirder."

Gizmo gave an incoherent reply that seemed to be both an agreement and an admission that it and Starwell were pretty "weird" themselves.

Starwell shrugged and attempted to settle in. Her brief rest was interrupted when she heard Captain Capacitor come back onboard, giving the order to retract the ramp and activate the sails. She watched in fascination as several sails seemed to appear seemingly out of nowhere, attached to nothing and yet positioned in perfect formation above the ship.

As the crew continued to rush about and Captain Capacitor barked out more orders, Starwell found herself wandering below deck. She claimed an area near the stairs and sat down on the edge of a bunk.

"I wonder what this Mainframe is like," she whispered to herself as she curled up on the bunk. Within moments her eyelids drifted shut, and she slept during most of the voyage.

0o0o0o0o0

Guardian Anna Code of the Watson Codec System had not given up. As far as she could tell, Zettabyte and George had remained within the Principal's Office, leaving her alone for the time-being.

It was exactly what she wanted, she supposed. No, what she really wanted was to find out where the young User-Sprite had gone and whether or not she still existed. For that matter, she also wanted to disable the conversion device in order to prevent more Users from entering the system.

However, that was not something she could do. Only a User on the outside could choose to disconnect a physical piece of hardware; no one, not even a Guardian, had that capability. Any kind of hardware was like a permanent fixture, and unless it malfunctioned or wore out there were many times when the User had no reason to remove it… unless, perhaps, the User had no further purpose for it.

It was just another area where the Users could interfere with business-as-usual in her city, and forced something on her people that she couldn't touch. She didn't even have any say in it, especially since no User had even spoken to the people who resided within a system… until Starwell, at least.

To make matters worse, the conversion device could not even be sabotaged from within. It was heavily guarded by the subroutines and programs that lived and worked within it. No doubt it had its own protective security software as well.

Anna Code eventually found herself wandering in the general direction of the Tower, unsure what she planned to do. After all it wasn't as if she could just wish it away. The only comfort she could obtain was that it hadn't pulled any other Users in, yet. That meant unless a User on the outside chose to power it up again for further use, it wasn't going to do anything at present.

She walked until she reached the very edge of her city, clenching her fists at her sides as she regarded the Tower in the distance. If only she could get close enough to give it a good, solid kick, that might make her feel a little better. But that would mean traveling across the energy sea to get to it, and she wasn't prepared to face Qsa Linex head-on.

The Administrative Program of the Tower was clearly unhappy with the recent turn of events. No one knew where Starwell had gone and Linex knew that Anna Code was responsible for the young User's hasty departure from the system. Apparently the Queen of the Tower had established a relatively friendly dialogue with the main city's Command Dot Com, thus Zettabyte had felt it was only fair to fill Linex in on everything.

As a result, Linex had given a stern warning for everyone, especially the female Guardian, to stay away from the Tower. It was not a threat, but it was not an idle statement to be taken lightly either. The large insectoid sprite could be seen flying over the city occasionally, often teleporting out of sight back to her Tower after a short time. Obviously, the Queen was keeping an eye out and attempting to search for any sign the User might be returning.

Or perhaps, as Anna Code was about to discover, the Queen had somehow lost a program from the Tower, something that could prove vital in finding the User. It was a program that could be elusive, curious, and a bit simple in the processor. Linex wanted this program back, and if she did she could send some of her drones on a search for the User.

However, things were not going to work out like that…

"What are you doing?"

Anna whirled around to see a program she had never seen before. It was an odd-looking person, someone who's height barely reached her belt. The individual looked like a circular, flat disk with two arms, two legs, a mouth and two eyes. She was light brown in color, and had dark brown specks all over her surface.

The newcomer looked like a chocolate-chip cookie.

"Who are you?" Anna demanded.

The program straightened. "You may call me Miss Cookie," she said, giving a little bow. "I am a Tracking Cookie, and…" She indicated the Tower in the energy sea. "I guess you have that to thank for my existence. I… came into being when one Alpha Starwell came into being."

Anna blinked a few times. "What do you mean?" the Guardian asked, furrowing her brow in puzzlement.

"My core programming holds some very specific data about Alpha Starwell's coding," the Tracking Cookie explained. "That is… I don't know much about her, but in my design I am tied to her. I have the ability to trace where she has been and wherever she goes, if the need should arise."

The female Guardian processed this for a moment. The gears began to turn in her processor. "So you're saying that you could locate Starwell right now, possibly take me to her?" she asked carefully, daring to get her hopes up.

"As long as she is not fragmented or erased, then yes," Miss Cookie nodded. "Somehow I get the sense that she is still within the Net, simply… not here."

Anna grabbed the Tracking Cookie's wrist and began to pull her along. "Come with me," the Guardian said. "We have a User to find."

Miss Cookie blinked. "User?"

"Yes. You know, Alpha Starwell."

"Starwell is… Starwell. Not necessarily a User."

Anna stopped walking, scowling at the shorter program. "How could you have been created by that thing," she pointed at the Converter Device, "during the very process while a User was being turned into a sprite, and not know that Starwell is a User?  
Especially since your primary function is to track her!" This made no sense whatsoever to Anna.

However, it became evident that the Tracking Cookie had a very limited processing capability; she was designed to track the individual that she was programmed to track. Apparently she lacked the capacity to comprehend what Starwell really was… or she simply didn't want to believe it.

"I will serve my function, as I am required to," Miss Cookie stated. "But to say that the sprite is a User…?" For the first time, her dull monotone was broken by a little chuckle. "I would not go that far."

Anna shook her head in disgust. In her mind, the Users had simply found another way to frag with her system by creating a device that could bring a User into her world, yet it was also made a program that wouldn't believe the device's true function was possible. The irony was so thick she could probably slice it with a butter knife.

However, she did not have time to think about it now. "Come on," she said. "We're going to the docks." She briefly considered contacting George, even Zettabyte, but… would either of them understand at this point? No, they would just try to stop her. Or they would simply slow her down or stall her as they tried to "reason" with her. She knew exactly what she was doing and she would not stop until she put an end to Alpha Starwell.

Anna obtained a spare Zip Board, and then she and Miss Cookie flew to the nearest docking port. It was there that Anna arranged for transport with Dana Line, the best Search Engine in the System. Dana was a tall, willowy sprite who was shapely, yet pencil-thin. Anyone who looked at her had to wonder how that skinny body was able to support her normal-sized head.

Once they were finished discussing the details as well as payment, Miss Cookie took a seat beside Dana Line as the navigator. The Tracking Cookie set her sensors to maximum as the Search Engine started up the little boat and they began to move.

Anna took a long moment to glance back at her city, frowning wistfully in spite of herself. "Goodbye, George," she whispered. "I am so sorry. If I can come back to you, I will. Just…" She closed her eyes. "You and Zettabyte… keep the system safe for me."

She would not cry. She refused to weep, no matter how she felt. It wouldn't do anyone any good, not her or George or anyone else.

Anna Code lifted her chin into the air, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She needed to stay strong for everyone in this system, to do what Zettabyte and George couldn't bring themselves to do; get rid of the menace, Starwell.

The Guardian had regained her composure and found her resolve just as the little boat slipped through the Net port. They had left Watson Codec behind.

Miss Cookie began to trace the Net Ports and Connection Tunnels as they streamed through Cyberspace, keeping her senses at their peak. It was difficult and it took a while, but she managed to find a trace here and a fragment there, simply residual pieces of code that indicated Starwell had been through this area or that area. It was similar to a dog finding someone by their own unique scent, and it was a "scent" that only Miss Cookie could track in her own unique fashion.

It wasn't easy, though. They took several wrong turns and had to backtrack more than a few times. At one point they somehow managed to go in a complete circle. In the end though, they finally arrived at a port which lead to a system.

There was nowhere else that Starwell could have gone, according to Miss Cookie; their quarry was either in that system, or nowhere.

"She must have had help from her Keytool," Anna mused begrudgingly, touching her chin in a thoughtful manner. "Or some other form of transportation. Dana," the Guardian said, "take us in, if you please."

"Right away," Dana Line acknowledged, and she began to maneuver the little boat toward the port.

Anna Code braced herself. She steeled her nerves, preparing herself for anything.


End file.
